At the Water's Edge
by mountaingirl47
Summary: Merpeople and humans coexist peacefully until one mermaid princess sees a human that she must have. The quest is on to find a magical jewel that can change a merperson to human and a human to a merperson so that each may have the person they desire.
1. Chapter 1

Morg: Heyo! I'm excited to be starting this fic. I hope you all find it as awesome as I do!

Ikuto: Not interested.

Amu: Just because it is a T doesn't mean that you need to get all upset.

Morg: No, he does have a reason.

Ikuto: This is ridiculous. Everyone knows that it should be an M.

Amu: But-

Morg: Just let it go, Amu. Let him sulk.

Ikuto: This is why I'm glad you never received ownership!

Amu: Wow, you're really put out about this.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

The view in front of his eyes was amazing. No other living being could say that they had seen what the fishes see. Ikuto was literally walking beneath the waves in his new dive suit. The first of its kind and as far as he knew, he was the only person alive to use it. His father had the right connections.

"Dude." The radio crackled in his ear. "You don't have much line left. Make sure you don't go much farther."

Though the words were a bit static-y, he could understand them. Ikuto couldn't believe that he was able to communicate with the people on his boat at all. The best part was that he could talk back. "Don't worry so much, Kukai. I'm fine and it isn't like I have to go anywhere much further. I can see a lot from here."

Though the suit was new and the top of the line equipment, Ikuto couldn't actually go far from the boat above him that held his air tank. The hose connecting him to it was only so long. The water was clear though and he could see a ways ahead of him. The coral was beautiful. The colors were so different when in their natural habitat compared to how Ikuto saw them in the lab he ran for his personal uses. Fish swam here and there but none dared to come much closer to the object that was so foreign in their midst.

"This meter thing says you have thirty minutes left until you have to come up. Is it really amazing down there, man?"

Ikuto rolled his eyes as he turned his body in a slow motion to look in a new direction. An object stuck out in the distance. Doing the math quickly, Ikuto figured he could get closer to it with enough air to make it back. "Of course it is. My father really out did himself this time." A crackled chuckling noise came in over his ear piece, causing Ikuto to shudder a little due to the grating noise in his ear. "Kukai, knock that off! I can see something up ahead. I'm going to get closer to it."

The laughter stopped only to be replaced by a voice. "Alight man, just be careful and all that jazz. I don't want your old man coming after me because his precious son can't take over the family business due to him dying and all."

"I'm glad that I have you to watch my back while I'm down here."

Ikuto's words came out dryly though he smirked. Kukai truly was his best friend and there wasn't anything the boy could say to make Ikuto actually mad at him. His father, on the other hand, only needed to be breathing the same precious air for Ikuto to hate him. Kazuomi only wanted Ikuto to take over his shipping empire. Ikuto wanted to study the ocean. His father indulged him and bought him things to make Ikuto agree to his wishes. Everything Ikuto did and had was funded by his father.

"What are best friends for?"

With his smirk firmly in place, Ikuto continued his walk along the ocean floor towards the object standing out in the distant gloom. His goal was only to get close enough to it to see what it was. They could come back at a later time and dive practically on top of it if Ikuto thought that it was worth the trip and effort.

"Hey Kukai, I think I might have found a sunken ship. We'll have to come back some time to check it out."

"That's awesome, dude!" The radio cackled in his ear. "You should get a second suit from your old man so we can both dive at the same time!"

Ikuto would have agreed if he had been listening to what Kukai was saying to him. Unfortunately for the boy running the oxygen on the ship, Ikuto caught a glimpse of something moving up ahead and it was way too big to be just a normal fish. With his curiosity piqued, Ikuto moved closer to the sunken ship in the distance. Upon closer inspection he realized that it wasn't a complete ship, only part of one. The best part of his discovery was watching the tail of a large fish go into.

Then everything started happening too quickly for Ikuto to truly understand. The radio in his ear cut out right after Kukai started spewing curse words. Ikuto felt a tug on the back of his suit where his oxygen line hooked to him before he felt pressure and the coldness of the water swirling in. During his short walk, he'd come unattached to his line and now the water was rushing into his suit. In a matter of moments, Ikuto would be dead.

Thinking quick, he turned from the wreck and tried to judge the distance between him and the line. He could feel the water filling the suit and weighing down his movements. Even if he'd wanted to simply swim to the surface, he couldn't due to the weight keeping him at the ocean floor. The young blue haired scientist had two options. Let the water enter his suit until all the oxygen was gone from it leaving him to drown or he could do his best to shed the suit and try and figure out a way to retrieve it later. Ikuto chose the second option.

While staying calm, he moved with swift movements until he was just about to take off the helmet. Sucking in one last breath of air, he hoped that he wasn't too deep to make it to the surface. Shedding his helmet made Ikuto blind as he shook free of the rest of his suit. Part of it was caught on his leg and he had to use his hands to free himself without the guidance of his eyes. Now that he was blind and without any oxygen, panic was slowly starting to sink in. His mistake was when he had opened his mouth to breathe out in slight frustrations. His foot just wasn't coming out of whatever it was that was tethering him down. Ikuto felt his consciousness beginning to edge away as he struggled longer.

From her spot in the wreckage, Amu watched it happen. She watched as the hose unhooked from his strange suit and the way he started thrashing in his rush to get out of it. Then she saw how his foot got stuck in the heavy looking boot. But she couldn't do anything. To expose herself would be the worst thing possible. Humans weren't supposed to know about her kind; though some did it was kept a secret.

When his body stopped moving beneath the waves, Amu couldn't stand it. She left her hiding spot and swam to the still floating body, freed his foot and pulled the beautiful human to the surface of the water.

"Breathe! Please breathe!"

Though his head was above the waves, the man in her arms remained limp. Amu knew in that moment that he was dead. Knowing that she had the power to change that even though the others shunned her for it, Amu lugged the body of the dead man behind her as her powerful tail allowed her to glide along the water's surface. She'd seen the boat and purposely swam in a different direction. The chances of the dead man seeing her if she could revive him were already too great. Letting other humans that she knew were on the boat catch sight of her as well made Amu realize how careful she needed to be. Humans did not need to know about her kind and Amu wanted nothing to do with them.

A nearby private beach would work perfectly so she pulled him up onto the sand. Laying her head against his unmoving chest, Amu checked once more to see if he was alive. The heartbeat that she had hoped to hear was nonexistent. Sitting back up, Amu concentrated her focus on the human man's still chest. She could sense the water sitting in his lungs, making him unable to breathe the air he so desperately needed.

Pulling two of her fingers together over his chest, Amu released her thoughts and focused on calling the water from his chest. His head tipped back as she concentrated. A thin stream of water slipped from between his lips and pooled into a ball above his face. Amu didn't stop there; however, once the water was gone she focused again and pushed air into the still unmoving lungs. Once, twice, three times she pushed air in and pulled it back out. Finally, the sound she was waiting for came to her ears. The faint beating of his heart.

Amu was so excited that she simply cradled the head of the man that had been dead only moments before. The others of her kind looked at her powers as something to be ashamed of. In her furry, Amu could cause a storm. Power over the elements of the earth made her strange, which made her an outcast. They did not trust her, yet here she sat with the life she'd just saved in her lap. Amu wished they could see how she only wanted to use the powers she possessed for good and not to harm others.

For the first time she really looked at the man she just saved. His hair the darkest blue she'd ever seen. He was handsome; she had to admit, even for being just a human. The young girl couldn't help but wonder who she had just saved. Was he a brother or a father? He looked quite young, barely older than she was.

While she was examining his face, he began to move. Amu tried to drop his head lightly to the sand and make her way back towards the waves that were only feet away as the brushed up against the shore.

A groan filled the air and she heard him sit up behind her. Without stopping, Amu tried to ignore the voice behind her as it rasped out its question. "Wait. Did you save me?"

The water was touching her fins, wetting them again and filling her with gratitude for making it as far as she had. Turning back, Amu saw that the man was trying to crawl towards her. "Please stop," she whispered to him, halting his meager attempt to get closer to her. "I saved your life but this is where I must leave you. Speak of this to no one."

Ikuto stared at the beautiful creature before him. She was one of something he hadn't believed existed before. How could she possibly be real? "But I don't even know your name."

Amu sat there with the water gently lapping around her half fish body. She studied the face of the human that she had just saved with powers she wasn't supposed to possess. "Amu. My name is Amu."

"Amu." Testing her name on his tongue made Ikuto realize that he was meant to say it. She was beautiful and pure. Everything that the ocean promised and more when it whispered sweet nothings to him. "You saved me, Amu?"

Nodding her head of pink hair, Amu decided that telling the man what had happened couldn't hurt. "You were no longer breathing so I brought you here and pulled the water from you lungs and pushed air into them."

"Like mouth to mouth?" Ikuto smirked at the thought of those lips pressed against his but the look on her face told him that she didn't understand. "It means that you used your mouth to push air into my lungs through my mouth. Like kissing but not kissing."

A sour look crossed her face as Amu backed deeper into the water. "No, not like that. I used other means. I must go. This is where I leave you."

Ikuto scrambled to his feet and immediately regretted it. "Wait! You are just going to leave me here?"

Amu smiled as she continued her path backwards into the waves. "Yes, you will live. I really must go. Please, don't tell anyone about me."

With that she was gone and there was nothing else that Ikuto could do. He stood on the beach with the sun slowly starting to dry his clothes. For as long as he stared at the ocean, she did not reappear above the waves. The mermaid that had saved him from drowning was gone. Ikuto smirked knowing that not only was he going to have one hell of a time getting back home, but he'd have to explain the loss of his new suit on the first day of using it. His father would not be happy, but that didn't stop the young man from keeping his smirk in place. At least now he had something to really search for in the depths of the ocean. Someone he wouldn't stop looking for until he found her again.

.

Morg: So what do you think?

Ikuto: I knew Amu loved me!

Amu: I didn't save you because I love you!

Morg: So you do love him?

Ikuto: Yes! I already told you that she does!

Amu: That's not what I meant!

Morg: Too late!

Ikuto: Review for Amuto love!

Amu: I give up.


	2. Chapter 2

Morg: Heyo! So I know I've been updating a lot lately, but I just feel like writing.

Ikuto: Update something else.

Amu: Just because this is another T story, doesn't mean you should dog it.

Morg: I'm planning on updating some more. Just be patient.

Ikuto: Whatever.

Amu: I don't think Morg wants to own you.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

Amu kept herself hovering above the spot where she'd seen the man almost die. His suit was still there. On the one hand, she wanted to return it to him because it was ruining the ocean floor. On the other hand, she didn't want to do anything to make the man think of her ever again.

One of her fishes swam closer to get a better look and ended up stuck within the darn thing. That made up Amu's mind for her. No way was she going to leave that death trap on the ocean floor when it had already put Ran into danger. The red snapper was only able to escape the suit because Amu was there to help her. "Don't do that again, Ran. I want all of you to go back home and wait for me."

Amu watched as her four friends swam away from her before she gathered up the suit and lugged it through the water. How she would return it, Amu didn't know. The only option she had was to put it on the same beach that she'd left the human on. At least it wouldn't be in the water.

XXX

"What do you expect to find? Some sort of scale or something? Come on man, give it a rest."

Ikuto couldn't believe that Kukai was teasing him so much about how he survived. How could his best friend not believe him? With no options left, Ikuto convinced Kukai to go with him back to that beach so he could find some sort of proof that Amu existed. Even though the mermaid had asked that he forget about her, Ikuto just couldn't. She had saved his life and she was so beautiful. "Like I have another option? You don't believe me so of course I'm going to look for proof."

"Whatever man."

Kukai only agreed to go along because he didn't want to upset his friend any more than he already was. The man had become obsessed with legends and myths of the half human half fish creatures that were rumored to live in the ocean. Going to the beach was the least he could do to get his friend out of his funk.

Pulling to the side of the road, Kukai and Ikuto got out of their car and headed for the beach that Ikuto knew was the one that Amu had placed him on before saving his life. Somewhere on that beach had to be the proof that Amu existed. Not knowing what good it would do once he convinced Kukai, Ikuto felt like he had to.

The grass thinned and the ground went to being more sand and rock than dirt. They rounded a large boulder and froze. Before them, neatly folded and laying on the sand was the suit Ikuto had been wearing the day he went diving. The first of its kind and the one he had yet to tell his father he had lost.

Kukai sighed. "This doesn't prove that she exists."

Not knowing exactly what to say, Ikuto turned to stare at his best friend in disbelief. "Alright, then you explain how this got here and why it is folded. You can't use the ocean as a reason because those boots weigh twenty pounds each and the helmet weighs at least thirty. There is no way that the current could have pulled it off the ocean floor and even if it could, that doesn't explain why the damn thing is folded. She is real!"

Kukai knew that his friend had a point. After staring at the water without much left to argue about, he turned to his friend. "Alright, so she's real. Now what?"

Ikuto smirked. "We find out everything we can about them.

A long sigh escaped from Kukai's lips. There went the chance that Ikuto would just let the whole thing go and get back to studying real things in the ocean. Like fish that weren't supposedly half human. "Well, the good thing is now you don't have to explain to your father how you lost his brand new diving suit. I mean, the thing is top of the line equipment."

Ikuto nodded while watching the waves gently gliding up and down the sand. "Don't you find it strange that almost all other forms of technology have advanced so far and yet here we are with a suit that weighs almost as much as I do to go diving in?"

"Hey man, I just help you look at the colorful fishes. I don't mess with the gear or invent it."

Kukai had a point, though Ikuto remained silent and didn't agree or disagree. He wasn't involved with inventing the equipment he used. His father literally gave him anything he wanted as long as Ikuto agreed to take over the family business. At least when his father made him give up 'playing' in the water Ikuto could still be around the ocean considering that his family's company was shipping. Basically, his father owned the sea. All of it.

Pushing those depressing thoughts to the back of his mind, Ikuto sat down on the sand. "So what do we do now? Should we just go diving again and look for proof?"

Kukai sighed again, something he was doing a lot of lately, and sat down as well. "I don't know. Aren't you supposed to be the smart one? For now, why don't you run back to daddy and tell him how much fun diving was. Then you can act all innocent and let him know that we need to repair the suit since you had a little accident while getting back on the boat. No big deal, just need the hose to be reattached."

"How did you ever become my friend?"

"You love my energy."

"My father will be pissed and I'll probably have to agree to something stupid because of this."

Kukai only rolled his eyes before pushing himself up. "You go deal with your old man and sell another little piece of your soul and I'll do some more research on merpeople and try to figure out what our next step is in that department. We can't do any more diving until the suit is fixed anyways."

Stupid Kukai and his stupid point. "Yeah, let's go."

XXX

Ikuto stopped before the door and took a deep breath. A feeling of dread was so ingrained into his system that Ikuto didn't see himself coming out of this meeting alive. Getting the suit alone had cost him six months of his freedom. Who knew what his father was going to demand of him next.

Knocking before pushing the door open, Ikuto stepped into the large office and waited for his father to usher him forwards.

"What is it now, Ikuto?"

Rolling his eyes without his father noticing, Ikuto moved towards the enormous desk on the other side of the room. "I wanted to thank you for the opportunity of having that diving suit. Being beneath the waves was phenomenal. I just have one requ-"

"What did you do?"

"The hose became unattached while I was returning to the boat. I just need it fixed."

The older man finally looked up from his desk to study his son. They were nothing alike being that the man was not Ikuto's real father. His mother had remarried after his real father was lost at sea and this man, Ikuto's stepfather, now ran the family business. "You will go with me on a trip across the ocean or I will not have it fixed."

The punishment wasn't too harsh. Ikuto had been on plenty of these trips before. They were mostly to show him how things worked while out at sea. Some of them had been quite enjoyable. "Fine. Have it fixed before we return. How long?"

"A month."

Ikuto bit back his groan and nodded before leaving the office without saying anything more to his father.

XXX

"This sucks. You have to leave and things were just getting good. At least he is going to fix the suit for you."

Despite having numerous houses that Ikuto could live in, he chose his yacht as his abode. Kukai just happened to live with him since the boat could definitely hold more than one person without it feeling the least bit cramped. "Yeah whatever, I'll only be gone a month. I expect you to have everything ready when I return."

"Same as always. Just order me around like a slave."

"Oh I'm sorry, did you want to start paying rent?"

"The entire ship will be spotless upon your arrival!"

Ikuto smirked as he slung his bag over his shoulder and exited his home. He'd be back. Being out at sea wasn't so bad and he'd enjoy it the best he could while thinking about one particular pink haired, half fish, half human creature.

XXX

"I don't see what you see in her, little brother. She's a freak."

The young prince held back his anger as his older sister taunted him once again. "We've been over this. She has powers and I want power. Enough said."

Utau sighed as she flicked her tail once again, causing the water surrounding her to stir up. "I still say that she's a freak. I bet she's all high and mighty just because she can control the elements. How will you ever get her to become yours, Tadase?"

A not so pleasant grin filled the merman's face. "I have the perfect plant to make Amu mine, just you wait, big sis."

Letting out a groan of disbelief, Utau used her powerful tail to propel herself out of the room she and her brother were both in. There wasn't time for this. Father had told her that one of the ships that they protected was to be crossing soon. The princess liked to watch as the huge wooden object glided along the top of the water.

Without wasting a moment more on her brother and his pathetic love life, Utau swam along the bottom of the ocean. Not long into her journey, Eru and Iru, her pet fish, joined her as she swam. Though they were complete opposites, the angel fish and devil fish had both become attached to the princess and got along rather well considering the devil fish was always teasing the angel one.

They reached a rather barren area of the ocean floor before Utau stopped herself from swimming farther along. The water was shifting and the feeling of something approaching began growing in the pit of her stomach. Soon enough the ship was in her sights. Utau smiled as she looked up at it. Swimming along in the current that was left in its wake was an enjoyable game, though her father forbad any mermaid from doing it.

Utau waited until the perfect moment to push herself through the water, to burst into the rolling waves and let her body be carried as the water moved. Several times she repeated her game until she grew tired and decided to swim along in a calmer current produced by the giant wooden beast. As she stared up through the little amount of water, Utau could see the side of the boat. She was close enough to it that someone would have to look straight down into the water and stare hard to see her though she had the perfect view at anyone that stood at the railing.

People moved past. Utau had seen humans before. They were rather intriguing with their two legs, but there was little else interesting about them. Most of them couldn't swim. How pathetic.

Just as she was about to swim back home and claim innocence, a person moved to the railing of the ship and stared out over the water. Utau kept herself moving with the boat to be able to continue looking at this human. He was beautiful. Hair a dark blue and from what she could see, his body was fit and not burley like many other humans. That human was perfect and she wanted him.

.

Morg: Been a while for this one. I hope you enjoyed it.

Ikuto: Not really.

Amu: You don't enjoy anything.

Morg: I doubt that's true.

Ikuto: I could show what I enjoy

Amu: Oh look at the time! Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Morg: Heyo!** Happy birthday to me~**

Ikuto: Yes, yes. Whatever.

Amu: Not nice, Ikuto.

Morg: For my birthday I would like to own you!

Ikuto: Too bad.

Amu: Not happening.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

Something strange was going on. Usually everyone stared at Amu with either a look of curiosity or a look of disgust, but at the moment everyone was staring as if they were expecting something to happen. That fact made Amu extremely uncomfortable.

With a small twitch from her fingers, Amu signaled for her four fish to scram. This was something she made sure they knew since she could be attacked at any time and didn't want for them to get hurt. Although Su, her octopus, had proven herself rather helpful in a fight.

Amu was right to send her fish away though, not twenty feet further in her swim eight mermen surrounded the pinkette.

"Well what do we have here? Care to play with us?"

"No thank you."

Several of the boys chuckled before one started approaching her. "Don't misunderstand. You've got a great body as far as being a mermaid goes but your appeal stops there, you freak. We just wanted to use you as a punching bag."

The others began laughing again as their circle tightened. Sensing the danger, Amu prepared herself to flee. Sure, she had power over the elements and could easily get herself out of this situation. If she did that, however, rumors would spread that she'd been looking for someone to hurt and this group of guys had been the innocents that had crossed her path at the wrong time. It was better to run or get beat up.

Her tail pushed hard against the water to shoot her straight up into the open sea above them so that she would no longer be cornered, but two of the mermen had been expecting this and shot up with her, grabbing onto her arms and pulling her back to the bottom.

The others were laughing as the leader pulled his arm back and used a strength that only merpeople had while moving under water. His fist landed on her cheek, causing the pale skin to instantly begin to change colors. Amu bit back her groan, not wanting to give these idiots the pleasure of knowing that she truly was suffering.

Several punches later, a voice rang out over the bullying. "What do you think you are doing?"

The men stopped hitting Amu and turned to see the prince. They instantly bowed and waited for Tadase to say something further before moving.

Amu took the opportunity to get away from them. With a bleeding lip and a bruise on her cheek, she glided through the water until not one other creature could touch her.

Tadase hid his grin as he looked down at the men he'd ordered to pick on Amu so he could rescue her. "Amu may be different but that doesn't make her any less of a mermaid. I expect you to respect her from now on. If I see or hear any more about this then you'll be punished, understand?"

The eight mermen bowed their heads and waited to be dismissed. Tadase waved them off with his hand before approaching the hurt mermaid. "Are you alright?"

Amu looked taken aback at being approached by the prince. "Y-yes."

"Does this happen often?"

"Usually I get away."

Before Tadase could respond to that, a rainbow fish appeared and nuzzled against Amu's cheek. The pinkette giggled before sliding a finger along the side of the fish. "I'm fine, Miki. Don't worry. Did everyone else make it home?"

Once a fish bonds with a merperson, it can communicate with that merperson. Most had one or two fish. Amu had four, and one was an octopus. Something that was not common at all. Amu didn't mind though, she loved her friends the most. She was already considered different and an outcast anyways.

The little fish sent its reply and Amu nodded back at it before turning back to the prince. "Thank you for helping me. I need to go now."

Tadase nodded and dismissed the girl from his sight. His own fish Kiseki, and king fish, appeared at his side. The little fish sent its happy vibes to his master and Tadase returned them. Their plan had worked perfectly and now the pink haired mermaid saw him as a good person and not as another bully.

Out of everyone that Amu knew of, the prince was the worst. He was spoiled. There was no doubt in Amu's mind that something about what had just happened to her was unusual. There was also the fact that if she had been any other merperson, the prince would have punished the mermen for beating her.

Choosing to go with her instincts, Amu decided to stay away from the prince for the time being. He may have seemed like her knight, but something was still off and that bothered Amu. She shrugged the whole incident off and decided that for the rest of the day, she and her friends would go to a shallow pool and play near the shore. Maybe they'd find more empty shells to make into jewelry or something.

XXX

Ikuto stared out over the water in complete boredom. Sure he loved the ocean and sure he liked sailing, but the meeting he'd just gotten out of had sucked most of the life out of him. The only thoughts swirling through his mind at the moment were about a certain mermaid and what she could possibly be doing.

Only being able to imagine what it was like to actually live in the ocean, Ikuto stared at the waves. If he had the option, he'd take it in a heartbeat. Not only would he forever be in the place he loved most, but he'd get away from his father too. If only water wasn't so wet. Something he'd never quite gotten over, but decided to ignore. Kukai teased him about being too catlike. Ikuto chose to ignore his friend.

Land was spotted and Ikuto waited patiently for the ship to dock. Sure, there were better, fancier boats in use. The company ran by his step father had and entire fleet of the metal giants, but Ikuto preferred the wooden ones. Apparently they were going somewhere to impress someone since it was unusual for his step father to agree to use one of the wooden ships. They were hard to maintain.

Several hours later, Ikuto understood why they did indeed take the wooden ship. Waiting on the dock for them to unload was a man and what looked to be his daughter. The girl was Ikuto's age and looked extremely excited about seeing the ship. Rolling his eyes, the young man gathered his things and moved to get off the ship.

"Hello, you must be Ikuto. I'm Yuu and this is my daughter Saaya."

The girl gave Ikuto what he decided was a rather slutty smile. He didn't bother to return it. "Right, where will I be staying?"

"Our house is large enough to have a guest room and your father agreed to you staying there with us so that your trip will be comfortable."

The girl was full out trying to flirt with her eyes and Ikuto just ignored her. "Fine. Show me the way; I'm rather tired from the trip."

"Saaya will help you, I must meet with some people first."

Ikuto hid the fact that he rolled his eyes. Another case of 'please get my daughter pregnant so we can marry into money' situation. Why did they always turn out the same? Ugly, slutty girls that held no interest to Ikuto. He'd have fun turning her away though.

Ikuto's suspicions were proven correct the moment the girl showed him his room. It was right across the hall from her own and she entered the room rather than just showing him where the door was. "I think I can manage from here."

Saaya sighed before sitting on his bed. "You don't want to have sex."

It wasn't a question so Ikuto didn't bother to answer.

The girl just sighed again and moved to sit on his bed in a way that was neither sexy nor not. She just sat. "I suppose this happens to you a lot. I mean, why wouldn't it? You are extremely good looking and you're extremely wealthy. So why wouldn't people try to use you? How about, while you are here, you can just be you and I'll just be me. I promise not to hit on you or try to jump you and we can just hang out."

Ikuto didn't believe her words for a moment. "Whatever, but you'll have to prove what you just said to me. I don't easily trust people. No touching."

Saaya just nodded her head happily and scooted out the door so Ikuto could unpack. He'd be staying a week in their house. Plenty of time for Saaya to make him fall in love with her.

XXX

"Come on, Ikuto. This is my favorite place to go!"

Ikuto followed rather reluctantly. So far three days had passed and Saaya had kept her word about just being themselves. Well, sort of, considering that Ikuto refused to let his guard down. At the moment, he was following her down a path in her garden. The house and the land that she and her father lived in and on were huge. Nothing compared to what Ikuto was used to, but still rather large. Her family was already well off.

Rounding a corner of the path, Ikuto froze. Among the bushes and short trees were birds. Lots and lots of birds. They squawked and called to one another while flapping their wings and clicking their beaks. They truly were amazing and though Ikuto preferred fish, birds weren't so bad either. "What is this place?"

"This is my aviary. Daddy built it for me to have my birds. I love them so much."

For the rest of the day, Saaya made Ikuto hold each and every bird while explaining about them. Ikuto didn't mind so much. They were interesting to learn about and Saaya was rather knowledgeable. One bird in particular continued to hop back onto Ikuto's shoulder despite the amount of times they put the darn thing back on the tree. He didn't mind so much but Saaya kept scolding it.

"I'm sorry, Ikuto; I don't know what has gotten into this one. He's a new bird and I guess he likes you more than me."

Ikuto smiled at the bird as it just jumped back from Saaya's hand to Ikuto's shoulder. "What kind of bird is it?"

"This one is a bird of paradise. I haven't named him yet because I haven't had much time to spend getting to know him. My other birds can get rather jealous. What do you say to taking him with you?"

Ikuto let one of his eyebrows rise up on his forehead. "What would I do with a bird?"

Saaya giggled before taking the bird back again just so it could return to Ikuto. "I don't think you have a choice considering he won't leave you alone. You can have him."

Ikuto spent the rest of the week with the bird on his shoulder. He refused to name it since he didn't want to get too attached to it. What would he do with a bird when he wanted to be in the water?

The night before he was supposed to leave, Ikuto happened upon Saaya and Yuu while they were having a private conversation.

"Why haven't you gotten him to sleep with you yet? Do you want to let him get away?"

Saaya remained silent for a moment longer before she shook her head. "I don't know what else to do. I tried acting like I wasn't a slut and I even gave him a freaking bird. Why can't he just get over himself already?"

So that's what she was really like. Ikuto wasn't surprised. Plenty of girls had tried other routes to get into his pants. A bird though? That was sort of strange. Whatever, he'd had enough. Ikuto returned to his room and locked the door. Later on when Saaya came to knock and asked if she could come in, he pretended to already be asleep.

The following morning, Ikuto refused to spend any time with Saaya claiming that he had things to do and had to prepare for his and his bird's return home. Once he was safely on the ship and on his way, Ikuto let out a sigh of relief. What was he going to do with the bird though?

XXX

Music blasted and Kukai cleaned up the yacht he shared with his best friend. Ikuto was due to return since the month was almost over and Kukai had promised that the ship and suit would be completely ready for when Ikuto returned. Now he was doing just that. The majority of the month had gone by with him playing video games and playing with some of his other friends at the park.

Silence filled the boat and Kukai knew that Ikuto had returned. Damn man never wanted to let him listen to his music. "Is that you, Ikuto?"

A squawk was the reply that Kukai received. Intrigued, the brown haired boy moved towards the sound to see a rather pissed Ikuto with a bird on his shoulder. "Cool bird, dude."

"Shut the hell up! I hate this stupid thing!"

The bird took one look at Kukai before stretching its wings and flying over to the boy. Kukai chuckled as he rubbed his finger along the bird's head. "What's so bad about him? Seems cool to me."

Ikuto stared at the pair for only a second before deciding. "You can keep him. Freaking thing wouldn't leave me alone for the entire trip back. You freaking take a shower with a bird watching you. Creepy thing. He's a bird of paradise. Enjoy it."

Kukai chuckled again before running his finger along the glossy feathers. "Well Daichi, I guess we're buds now."

The bird just squawked his reply and cuddled closer to Kukai's cheek.

.

Morg: So since it is my birthday, you should all review.

Ikuto: You are so bad.

Amu: Why?

Morg: He thinks I'm low for using the day I was born as an excuse to get more reviews.

Ikuto: You could actually earn them.

Amu: I think she is.

Morg: Thanks! And review!


	4. Chapter 4

Morg: Heyo! I'm really glad that everyone is enjoying this story so far!

Ikuto: I know I would enjoy it more.

Amu: Pervert.

Morg: I don't think he said anything perverted there, Amu.

Ikuto: No, I just meant there could be some things that could be better.

Amu: I know what you mean and you are still a pervert.

Morg: Not nice.

Ikuto: Not nice at all.

Amu: And if either of you owned me, I'd care.

Morg: Harsh.

Ikuto: This calls for punishment.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

"You better be taking this seriously."

Kukai sighed for the fifth time during their thirty minute drive. Where was the trust friends were supposed to have in each other? "I promise that she is legit. She knows stuff about merpeople and will be able to give you information."

Rolling his eyes, Ikuto stared out his window with a slight frown on his handsome face. "If this turns out to be some cracked up chick that you did no research on and scrambled to find in the last minute you can kiss that stupid bird goodbye."

"Don't you bring Daichi into this! He's got nothing to do with you and your moodiness!"

Fighting off the feeling to smack his own face, Ikuto turned his not amused gaze on his friend. "I just want to make sure that you are taking this seriously. I had to freaking put up with that bull shit for a month just to have the suit fixed. I held up my half of the deal. You better hold up yours."

No trust at all. "Have I ever steered you wrong? Come on, Ikuto. I am taking this seriously! Just meet the chick and see for yourself. I asked all sorts of questions over the phone and she was able to answer all of them in a way that suggested that she really knew what she was talking about. I will admit that she seemed a little eager to talk to me and has a strange way of speaking, but she knows her shit."

With those words only making him feel slightly more confident about their trip to talk to this girl, Ikuto let out his own weary sigh. "I'll give her a chance, but if this isn't legit you are walking home."

"That's all I'm asking for, and I'm glad you decided that because we are here."

Ikuto turned his gaze to look at the house they were pulling up to. This couldn't possibly be the right place since it looked like an ordinary house and not someplace where a merperson expert lived. "Looks too ordinary."

"Would you just wait until we get inside before you start making your decisions?"

"I was just saying."

There came the sixth sigh. "I don't know why I even try to help you out sometimes. You are such a Debbie downer."

The sound of the seat belt hitting the side of the car was all the response Ikuto gave Kukai. There were only so many stupid comments he could take in a day and Kukai had reached his limit. Like the idiot was really the one putting up with Ikuto's behavior. If anyone was putting up with someone else it was Ikuto dealing with Kukai's stupidity.

Letting his door click shut, Kukai followed Ikuto up the front stairs of the house. This was definitely the right address for the girl. He knew that for a fact since she'd practically screamed it at him four times over the phone. "Be nice to her, Ikuto."

"I said I would give her a chance, but only one."

Kukai said nothing in return as he knocked on the door only to have it flung open two seconds later by a bouncy girl with red pigtails. "Hello, I think we spoke over the phone. I'm Kukai and this is Ikuto."

"Yaya is so happy to meet Kukai-san and Ikuto-shi! Yaya wanted Kukai-san and Ikuto-shi to come in!"

Though the outside looked rather normal, the girl that owned the place was definitely not. Ikuto could feel any hope he had for getting information during this visit to be slipping away. The actual inside of her house was much different from the outside. Ikuto was slightly impressed due to the amount of objects and tokens related to merpeople placed neatly around the room. None of it was the typical tacky stuff that some people had. Everything on display looked as if it held reliable information on the subject he was so desperate to learn more about.

Kukai nudged the man next to him. "Told you to give her a chance."

Choosing to ignore his friend completely, Ikuto continued to roam his eyes around the inside of Yaya's house. "So Yaya, what can you tell me about merpeople."

Smiling, Yaya motioned for Ikuto and Kukai to follow her to the living room couch. "Ikuto-shi is welcome to look at all of Yaya's information. Yaya is happy to share with Ikuto-shi and Kukai-san! The only thing that Yaya can tell Ikuto-shi about the merpeople that Ikuto-shi cannot read for himself here is that Ikuto-shi's father is the one making sure that humans never find out about merpeople. In return, the merpeople help Ikuto-shi's father with his ships."

"How could you possibly know that if I don't know that?"

Smiling, Yaya tapped her nose with one finger. "Because Yaya is friends with some of the merpeople. One of them works for the king fixing Ikuto-shi's father's boats when they need work from under water."

"Really? Will you tell me their names?"

"Yaya has promised not to."

Ikuto held in his sigh before he gave a small smile. "Okay then. Would it be alright if I started looking around?"

The girl started nodding her head so hard her pigtails flopped on top of her head. "Of course, Ikuto-shi! Look at anything Yaya has!"

Doing just that, Ikuto moved off the couch to examine a rather large painting on the wall of the room. He completely ignored Kukai as the other man moved to stand beside him.

"Do you believe me now?"

"Shut it, I'm reading."

"I told you that she was legit. Now you have to be nice to Daichi."

"Can it or the bird will suffer."

"You can't do anything to him."

"Say goodbye to his favorite crackers because they might just fall overboard when we get home."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Then shut your mouth and start reading."

Kukai followed the orders, although begrudgingly, and started reading the same information that Ikuto was so they could talk about it later.

Hours later, Ikuto finally decided to call it a night. He had four books that he was going to borrow from Yaya and return at a later date. He'd also promised to be back within the week to keep looking at the things he couldn't take with him from her house. "Yaya, can I ask you one last favor?"

"Yaya wants to know."

"When you talk to your merpeople friends again, can you ask if they know anything about a mermaid named Amu?"

When the girl remained silent, Ikuto knew something was up.

Yaya took a breath before smiling. "Yaya will do as Ikuto-shi asks."

"Thanks Yaya."

With a tired wave of their hands, Kukai and Ikuto left the house for their car. Once again, Kukai slipped behind the steering wheel and waited for Ikuto to buckle as the other boy shuffled the books in his lap until he could get his belt to click.

"So are we going home?"

Ikuto nodded his head before leaning back a little in his seat. "Yes, but tomorrow I'll be going to visit my stepfather."

"Sounds like a good idea to me. I bet he knows a lot about this subject. I wonder why he's never mentioned it to you before."

"Because he's a bastard."

"The man funds everything we do. Be just a little more grateful."

"I'll be grateful when he finally dies and I can sell everything. I knew something wasn't right about the way he was the only one to have ships running on any sort of body of water. This just explains it."

"Don't go in their all pissy. You know he'll just take away more of your freedom."

"Let him try."

Kukai let his eyes slide from the road to look at his friend. "I'm serious. Don't go causing trouble that you don't need. We already have our hands full with the diving you want to do and the information we are finding."

Shifting the books nestled in his lap, Ikuto stared straight ahead to avoid Kukai's gaze. "I get it. I'll just ask him politely and then ask to meet one of them. Sound fair?"

Finally satisfied, Kukai turned back to the road in time to make their turn for the pier. He was more than ready to snuggle with his bird and get some shut eye before getting up to get ready for their dive the following day. Hopefully they would find something that would make Ikuto happy so he wouldn't just storm into his father's office. "Night man."

"Yeah, get some shut eye. We have work to do tomorrow."

"Aye Aye Captain."

Rolling his eyes, Ikuto just moved past the other man to climb aboard his yacht to head for bed. He would deal with his lying stepfather another time.

XXX

Swishing her tail, Rima gazed at her lover. The fact that he had to leave for another stupid trip for the worthless humans and their ships had her angry. She wanted him home with her. Not out in the ocean where she didn't know what could happen to him. "Are you coming back this time?"

Nagihiko smiled to his wife before flicking his tail to close the distance between them. "I'll always come back to you."

"Who says I'm always going to want you back?"

Taking the feisty mermaid in his arms, Nagi placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you, Rima. I promise I'll be safe and come back soon. I have to go now or I'll be late."

Pouting, but only just a little, Rima hugged her husband back before kissing him a little harder than he'd kissed her. "You better come back safe or you're going to be in a heap of trouble."

Smiling as he pulled away, Nagi blew his wife a kiss as he swam out the door. Going on these trips was mandatory for the mermen the king picked. Nagi just happened to be one of the men the king wanted to be working on keeping the ships safe. The job wasn't so bad. He just had to swim along with the ship and make sure no damage was done to it. There had only been one time when a sea creature had attempted to attack a ship that Nagi was guarding. He'd managed to fend it off with the others in his group without being injured. A couple of other mermen weren't so lucky.

Rima hadn't been pleased when she'd heard about it and frequently warned her husband that he best be careful or she was going to hurt him herself. Nagi never underestimated her threats. Rima was perfectly capable with following through with any that she made.

With her husband now gone, Rima felt her house was too empty. Not a few moments later, she was on her way out the door to visit a friend. One that most other merpeople avoided like a puffer fish with poisonous spikes. Something Rima never understood considering how awesome she found Amu to be.

Swimming to the pinkette's house took Rima a good hour. Amu lived far from any other merperson. Something Rima knew was a good thing despite how inconvenient it was. Not to mention the octopus that tended to make other merpeople freeze in their spots when they got too close to the house.

As always, Rima was halted by eight long arms. She didn't have to move before a voice floated through the water.

"Let her in, Su. You know I don't like it when you stop Nagi and Rima. Heck, I've never asked you to stop anyone. Crazy octopus."

The motherly fish let Rima by while rubbing a long tentacle on her as if she was apologizing. Smiling, Rima patted the octopus as she swam by. "Don't worry about it, Su. I would be protective too."

The octopus twirled in the water before darting off to lurk somewhere else. Rima didn't doubt that one of the other three fish were watching her now that Su was off to scout more of the surrounding area.

Finding Amu in her small house, Rima swam right in and settled on the floor of Amu's kitchen. "Nagihiko left for another trip."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Rima. I know how much you miss him when he leaves."

"Whatever! He can be gone as long as he wants as long as he freaking comes back in one piece."

Amu sighed as she grabbed some of the edible coral she had stored in her kitchen and joined Rima. "Don't say that. I know he's going to be fine and it's okay to miss him."

Rima let out her own sigh as she flopped back to lie on Amu's floor. "Stupid Nagi making me fall so far in love with him it hurts when I can't be near him. Forget the king and his stupid tasks! I want my husband!"

Smiling, Amu moved herself so that she was seated next to Rima's head. Pulling the long, blonde hair onto her scaly lap, Amu began to run her fingers through the shimmering mess. A few braids were added here and there just so Amu's fingers would have more to do.

Rima complained a little more before she fell silent and just listened as Amu hummed a song for her. "I wish you could find someone that wasn't an asshole so that you could be happy too, Amu."

Wanting to desperately change the subject before Rima started attempting to convince Amu to try dating, Amu randomly said the first thing that came to mind. She instantly regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth and floated into the water. "I saved a human from drowning about a month ago."

"What!"

.

Morg: So this wasn't the original fourth chapter. I was about halfway through the fourth chapter when I realized that I needed this information in the fourth chapter. So I had to stop writing that and write this to post.

Ikuto: So basically the chapter you were writing will be the fifth chapter.

Amu: Sounds about right.

Morg: Wrong! It'll most like be the sixth. Possibly even the seventh.

Ikuto: Either way, this story is a lame T story.

Amu: Not lame! I like this one a lot!

Morg: I'll let the readers decide if it's good! Review!


	5. Chapter 5

Morg: Heyo! For those of you who knew this was coming, thanks for waiting and I'm sorry I'm a day late!

Ikuto: Whatever, they don't care.

Amu: I'm sure someone, somewhere might possibly, just a little bit, care.

Morg: Thanks for the support, guys.

Ikuto: Welcome!

Amu: Not like we have to. You don't own us.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

It wasn't like Kukai hated reading. In fact, he quite enjoyed turning the pages of a good book. Just not every freaking waking moment of his day. Three days after they'd left Yaya's house with books in tow, they were still reading. Ikuto had planned to see his father rather quickly to settle matters with him, but he kept putting it off to read more.

Not that Kukai minded that his friend was doing so. The stalling just allowed for Ikuto to not go charging into his stepfather's office with guns a blazing, causing some more trouble. They didn't need any more trouble.

In fact, the more time Ikuto spent putting off the visit the better. His stepfather rarely called for him as it was. Usually Ikuto only ended up losing freedoms and having to go on trips because he'd been the one to go to the older man. Kukai had seen the pattern, but hadn't said anything due to the fact that he was certain Ikuto wouldn't like it being pointed out. His friend was well aware of it anyhow.

Closing his book, Kukai rubbed his sore eyes and wished he was done. Daichi sat perched on the table next to him, cocking his head as if asking what the human was doing. Chuckling, Kukai scratched the feathers on the bird's head before giving his little friend a cracker. "I'm just taking a short break. My brain is turning to mush."

A rather loud squawk was heard. Kukai took it as a form of approval.

Ikuto put down the last book he had to read just as Kukai's stupid bird decided to be noisy. Sighing, he rubbed the bridge between his eyes before pushing up and out of his chair to make his way to the kitchen for something to eat. Kukai was already there when Ikuto got there.

"Hey man, you taking a break too?"

"No, I finished."

Kukai groaned internally upon hearing that. This meant that Ikuto had no more reasons to put off going to see his stepfather. Something was sure to happen and they would be either given a new deadline as to when their little experiments would be over or Ikuto would have to leave again for another trip. "So what are you going to do now?"

Noticing the hesitation in the question, Ikuto got out the things he needed to make a sandwich. "Eat a sandwich."

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

"I might."

"You do."

"I said I might."

"I know you do."

Releasing another sigh, Ikuto finished putting the mayonnaise on his bread before adding the cheese, meat, lettuce and tomato. One squirt of mustard and he was ready for his mini meal. "I haven't decided yet. I'm sure that Yaya would like her books back relatively soon, which makes me wonder why you aren't reading. Aren't you two books behind me? Though I know I need to go and confront that man, I don't really want to at the moment."

Kukai grinned at his friend before sipping a drink from his coke. "Right, glad to hear that you have some sense in that head of yours. You don't have to worry about going to see him. Just don't go to see him when you're angry."

"I get it, Kukai. I know not to do anything stupid. I'm just going to ask him some other questions and try to work mermaids into the mix and see if I get a reaction."

"Okay, so what is your reason for going?"

"I just told you. Weren't you listening?"

"I know your real reason, but what are you going to tell your dad? You know the first words out of his mouth are going to be 'what is it this time'."

Ikuto fell silent at that. He was well aware that if he went to see his father then he'd have to have another reason for going to see him. "I don't know. Maybe I'll just make something up when I get there."

Rolling his eyes, Kukai downed the rest of his drink before offering his arm to his bird. "Yeah, because that is the best plan ever made. Think about it some more before you go. I don't want to be stuck here alone for another month with nothing to do."

"You have Daichi now, why are you complaining?"

"He is awesome."

The bird chimed in his agreement.

XXX

Standing in front of the door to the man's office, Ikuto hesitated. There was a good chance that he was sending himself to his grave by coming here, but he just had to have some more answers. Especially if he ever wanted to see Amu again. Besides, his stepfather was letting him dive. There was no way it would've remained a secret forever anyways.

The door opened before Ikuto had a chance to knock. His mother slipped past him without actually looking at him. Her eyes seemed dull and slightly unfocused when he caught a glimpse of her impassive face. Just another reason Ikuto hated his stepfather.

"What is it this time, Ikuto?"

Turning back to the open doorway, Ikuto decided that Kukai knew too much for his own good. "Just wanted to talk to you quick. I found a sunken ship not too far off the coast and was wondering if you've lost any ships recently."

Almost as if he was taken aback by surprise, Ikuto's stepfather shuffled some papers on his desk before looking up at the boy who would take over his company. "You found a ship while diving?"

"Yes, the ship was too far away for me to get a good look at it, but I want to go back and I was just wondering if there was anything you might need or want off of it."

Moving some more papers, the older man finally answered the unasked question. "I don't want you to go explore it."

"Why not?"

"Just listen to what I say, Ikuto."

"Give me a good reason first, _dad_."

Sighing, the older man wiped at his forehead with one of his hands before fixing his stepson with a stern gaze. "Because I haven't lost any ships recently and I don't want something to happen while you're down there."

"Oh please, I'll be careful and it isn't like the fish are going to do anything to me."

"There are other things in the waters besides fish, Ikuto."

Scoffing, Ikuto's heart began to race. Was this idiot really about to tell him what he really wanted to know? "You know, I could just go and not tell you."

"You know I would find out anyways. Maybe you don't need to keep doing what you want until you're twenty. I should start having you run part of the company now."

Frowning, Ikuto decided to give up this small matter. He and Kukai had already gone back and explored the ship anyhow. He wasn't really there for that. "I get it."

"Good. Now, I do have a meeting that I need to go to in the next couple of days and since you have started diving I suppose it is time for you to come along. I expect you there. I'll email you the details later."

Groaning internally, Ikuto counted the visit as a complete waste of time. The old man had hinted towards there being something besides fish in the waters but said nothing more than that and now Ikuto had to go to some meeting. Great. Just great. Kukai was going to love this. "Whatever."

XXX

Somehow he'd managed to get himself stuck in another stupid meeting with his stepfather. The worst part was, Ikuto didn't even know who the meeting was with or what it was about. The only information he'd received was where to be and what to wear. Knowing the consequences of not complying, Ikuto followed the instructions and was ready when he was picked up.

Having been to meetings before, Ikuto was rather surprised when they boarded a ship and left port. "You aren't taking me off on another trip, are you? That wasn't part of the deal."

"Relax, we aren't going that far out to sea."

Rolling his eyes without the older man being able to see, Ikuto did the opposite of relax. There was no one to have a meeting with out at sea. No one except…

"We're almost there. Now, you better behave yourself, Ikuto or I really will take everything away from you."

That being said, his stepfather moved towards the edge of the ship and looked down over the railing. He motioned for Ikuto to join him, which he did. Staring out at the water, Ikuto waited for something to happen. Part of him was convinced he already knew what was coming while the other part of him was telling him he was wrong. Oh how he hoped he was right.

"Behave."

That was the last word said to Ikuto as several heads rose out of the water. "Hello Kazuomi."

"Your majesty. I want to introduce my stepson and future leader of my industry, Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

Ikuto didn't know what to do. From the way his stepfather had addressed the half man half fish in the water, the older looking merman was a king. "It is nice to meet you, sir."

The older merman looked up at Ikuto with deep seeing eyes. They just stared at one another for several moments before a new voice cut into the conversation. "Father, you must have business to attend to and I'm sure Ikuto has some questions. Why don't you allow me to speak with him while you talk with Kazuomi-san?"

Ikuto let his eyes switch from the king to the blonde mermaid beside him. Her long pigtails floated out into the water around her. She looked quite beautiful, though not as beautiful as his Amu.

The king didn't so much as look at his daughter. "Do as you wish, Utau."

Utau giggled as she motioned for Ikuto to follow her along to railing to give the other two men some space to talk. There was only about ten feet between her and the human she'd seen before. "I'm Utau. It is nice to meet you, Ikuto."

"Yes, right. Nice to meet you too."

Giggling again, Utau flipped her tail up so that Ikuto would be able to see it from where he was. She was gorgeous and she knew it. No one could refuse her. Not even this human and she wanted him. "So you will be taking over? That sounds like fun. I'll rule the kingdom as well. Sounds like we'll be working together in the future."

So mermaids were just like human girls, eh? Slutty. "I don't want to, but I don't have a choice."

Scrunching her face up into her cutest pout, Utau fluttered her lashes at Ikuto. "Why not? Don't you just love the sea?"

"I would live in it if I could, but I don't like the way my stepfather runs his business."

Utau frowned a little but masked it in a look of confusion. Ikuto didn't seem to be reacting to her at all. "But the way he runs his company keeps us safe. This way no one knows that we are here and we help to protect the ships from the other creatures in the seas."

Ikuto was intrigued to know that there were other things besides merpeople out there, however, he didn't want to hear it from some slutty fish girl as she hit on him. "That isn't what I was talking about. Things will change once I take over. I can guarantee that."

"Ikuto, it is time for us to go. Please come and say goodbye to the king."

Ikuto made his way back over to his stepfather and did as he was asked. Once the king returned the parting, he returned to the water. Utau gave one last flip of her tail and a smile before she followed after her father. Ikuto was glad that the meeting was over. At least now he could get some information from his old man.

Kazuomi turned to his stepson to see him still staring at the water. "Whatever you want to ask, save it for another time."

With that they returned to land.

.

Morg: So Utau and Ikuto officially meet! I'm so excited that this story is moving along so well!

Ikuto: You say that and yet I see very little Amuto happening.

Amu: So what? Amuto isn't what makes the story good.

Morg: Lies!

Ikuto: You'll have to be punished for saying that.

Amu: The readers will agree with me!

Morg: More lies!

Ikuto: You are so naughty, Amu.


	6. Chapter 6

Morg: Heyo! So there might be some confusion. Utau isn't actually a slut in this story.

Ikuto: I just think she's like all the other girls I've dealt with.

Amu: But she's really nice and sweet and not evil.

Morg: No, at the moment she's evil.

Ikuto: Sisters usually are.

Amu: This is why you don't own anyone.

Morg: Pretty much.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

Once again on dry land and back in his car, Ikuto was too angry to return home. He wasn't actually surprised that his stepfather had kept such a huge secret from not only Ikuto but the world. Not surprised at all. His anger was solely due to the fact that even now that the bastard had shared the secret, he wasn't going to give Ikuto any information. The comment he'd made before they'd returned to land about not asking questions at the moment meant that Ikuto shouldn't ask any at all.

No, he wasn't returning to his home and Kukai and that stupid bird of his just yet. Not when he was this angry. Ikuto was tired of hearing Kukai preach about knowing that Ikuto was only going to be angry or put out when returning from visits with his stepfather, which is why Kukai usually advised to avoid the man or simply be pleasant in his presence. Two things that Ikuto could not do.

So instead of returning to his warm bed on his cozy yacht, Ikuto drove around in the night for a while. The road that wound just next to the sea shore was lovely with the moon's weak light reflecting off the water. So beautiful that Ikuto decided to pull off the road and down a dirt path that he knew led to a little cove. Not many other people knew that such a place existed, which was all the better for Ikuto.

Once his car was parked, Ikuto sat in the driver's seat and just stared out over the water. So merpeople were in league with his bastard of a freedom stealing stepfather, Ikuto should have known. If they hadn't been then everyone would have already known they existed. Not only were the half human half fish people hiding, but humans, full humans, were hiding them too.

Gripping the steering wheel harder than he needed to, Ikuto felt like screaming. Damn his stepfather for refusing to share any information on the creatures. Damn him!

XXX

Utau knew that she was in love the moment that human boy had spoken. That gorgeously hot human boy. The princess of the merpeople also knew that she wanted him, and that he would be hers.

Swishing her tail, Utau propelled herself into her father's chambers. "Father, where are you?"

Appearing before his daughter, the king smiled. "What is it, my dear?"

"I want that human boy. The son. Ikuto. I think we should be married."

"A relationship between a mermaid and a human boy? Such a thing cannot happen."

Utau frowned. "But think about it, Daddy. If I and that human boy were to unite in marriage then your contract with that human man would never void. I would have bonded us and our protection will remain for much longer than you thought."

Knowing that his daughter had a rather good point, the king sighed. "Let me talk it over with your mother before I give you my decision. Go now, Utau."

"Thank you, Daddy!"

The princess flicked her tail and swam out of her father's room only to head straight for the prince. "Guess what, Tadase!"

"No."

"I'm going to marry a human!"

"I said I di- wait. What?"

"I went along to the meeting earlier with Daddy and met the son of the man we have the deal with. He's amazingly good looking so I told Daddy to let me marry him and once he speaks to Mother it will be announced!"

Tadase didn't know what to say. "Good for you, but why a human? I mean, you could have anyone and you picked him? He can't even live in the ocean with you."

Utau smirked before checking to make sure that she and her brother were really alone. "If Daddy announces it then I'm going to find the Tear."

Almost as if he were afraid of what Utau was saying, Tadase grabbed his sister's wrist and pulled her in closer. "Don't even talk about it. That's a ridiculous idea!"

Shrugging her brother off, Utau flicked her tail again to put her further away from the other blonde. "Whatever you say. I'm going to do it."

Sighing, Tadase just watched his sister leave. Utau was one crazy fish for even thinking about what she just said.

XXX

The morning's rays filled Ikuto's car and woke him. Not quite remembering what was going on, Ikuto stared out the windshield in confusion. Slowly, the night before returned though his anger wasn't as much. At the moment he just needed a distraction.

Exiting his car, Ikuto worked some of the weariness out of his limbs before popping his trunk to grab some gear. No point in just wasting the fact that he was at the cove so early in the morning. Taking a net and his notebook and pen, Ikuto set off for the beach. Time to see what was hiding in the waves.

XXX

Amu knew that he was there. The net he was casting had already come into the water and left without a single thing tangled in its webs. Thank goodness for that. Amu wasn't certain what the human would do with what he caught, but she rather not find out. That was, until her rainbow fish, Miki got ensnared with the net was suddenly cast in a new spot.

Unable to ignore the fact that one of her familiars was being pulled from the ocean, Amu flung herself up and out of the deeper waters to land in the shallows close to the beach. "Please release her!"

Ikuto was stunned. There she was. Amu. Right before his eyes yelling about some fish. Looking down that the rainbow fish he was measuring before he released it back into the ocean, Ikuto returned his gaze to the pink haired mermaid. "The fish?"

"Yes! That's Miki and she's my familiar!"

Looking back at the fish in his hands, Ikuto let a plan form in his mind. "Alright, but I would like for you to stay for a bit and answer some questions for me. You don't have to answer any that you don't like."

Thinking there was no other way to save her fish, Amu nodded her agreement. "Fine, but please put her back now. Fish have to have water to breathe!"

"Yes, I know." Ikuto finished what he was doing before quickly letting the rainbow fish back into the waves. He watched the little fish to make certain that it was alright before turning back to the mermaid. "So how have you been, Amu?"

"Fine. Why are you asking me this?"

Ikuto frowned. "Well first off, I don't think I've ever actually had a chance to introduce myself. I'm Tsukiyomi Ikuto. And second, you have bruises and a couple of cuts. What happened?"

Looking down at her arms, Amu noticed that her marks from the last time she was unable to get away from the bullies were still visible. "Some of the other merpeople don't like the fact that I'm different."

"How so?"

"Well they beat me because they think that I think that I'm better at them because I can control the elements of nature. I don't really think that way, but nothing I can say will change their minds. If I fight back then the story of what happened gets twisted and others believe that I went looking for a fight and used my powers on innocent merpeople."

Ikuto felt more anger now than he had the night before. "That is just stupid. I suppose merpeople aren't that different from humans after all. I should've known. That isn't right, Amu. You shouldn't be treated that way."

Shrugging her thin shoulders, Amu couldn't really say much to that. She hid her surprise that Ikuto sounded like he was actually sincere in what he said to her unlike so many others that had said similar things in order to just get closer to her. "Thanks for saying so, but your words won't change reality."

Rolling his eyes, Ikuto took a seat on the beach with his notebook in hand. "I know that. The most I can do for you is listening to your troubles if you want to share them. It isn't like I can just turn into a merman and kick everyone's butts for hurting you, even if I would like to."

"Why would you do that for me?"

"Because obviously they fear you and think that you will use your gift for something evil. You saved my life, Amu. Because you are who you are and have the powers that you do, I am still living. That tells me that you can't be evil. That and you are way too beautiful to be evil."

Blushing a little, Amu turned her face away from the human boy to look out over the sea. "The prince is recently attempting to court me. I find him creepy and false. I can tell that he really has no feelings for me. The prince has always been power hungry. I'm avoiding him as often as I can. That is why I am here today. What brings you here?"

Ikuto smirked knowing that Amu was agreeing to have an actual conversation with him now. She wasn't suddenly going to just disappear into the water. "I slept in my car last night after my stepfather introduced me to your king and princess. I knew that merpeople existed because of you, but I had no idea he was keeping the secret from all the other humans. He won't answer any of my questions even though he is already forcing me to take over the family shipping business. So instead of returning home to my rather self-righteous roommate, I drove around and ended up here."

Knowing that she probably should have taken in more information than she did, Amu couldn't help but ask again just to clarify. "You met the king and princess as in the _king_ and Princess Utau?"

"Yes?"

"I am so sorry."

Ikuto let the confusion show on his face. What did Amu have to be sorry about? "For what?"

"Considering your looks, I am almost positive that Princess Utau will demand that you somehow become hers. I'm just apologizing in advance. She tends to do this with anything she sees that she likes. If she could take another merpersons' familiar then she'd do that too."

Deciding to ignore that for now, Ikuto wished his phone wasn't currently ringing. Checking the cell, he noticed that he had about forty seven missed calls from Kukai. "I'm really sorry; I should answer this before Kukai blows a casket."

Amu nodded for Ikuto to do whatever he said he needed to do as she made herself more comfortable to wait for him to finish so they could talk some more. Despite the man's looks and the obvious look of perversion in his eye, Amu sort of liked the human boy.

"Hello?"

_"What the hell! Where are you!?"_

"Kukai, you aren't my wife, mother or girlfriend. I don't have to let you know when I won't be home. Chill out and calm down. I'm at the beach talking with Amu. I'll call you when I'm on my way home."

"_Wait, like mermaid Amu?"_

"Yes, like mermaid Amu. Call you later?"

_"Fine, but you owe me some good food tonight!"_

The call ended with Ikuto shaking his head. "Sorry, best friend was worried when I didn't come home to our boat last night. He's worse than a jealous girlfriend."

Amu giggled a little at that. "Don't worry about it. I'm not entirely sure what you mean, but that's alright. Do you have any more questions for now?"

Feeling as if he'd just been told that his stepfather died and the company was sold in pieces and chucks leaving Ikuto with only money and freedom for the rest of his life, Ikuto smiled at the mermaid. "Yes, yes I do."

.

Morg: There you go! More Amuto action!

Ikuto: Not really.

Amu: He's got a point.

Morg: Well, I don't care! I do care about **Mirene** messaging me so we can start hashing out the properties of this stone and what not since it is named after her! I can't wait to introduce more of the plot to you in future chapters! Please look forward to it!


	7. Chapter 7

Morg: Heyo! Just in case any of you were wondering, I'm just lazy.

Ikuto: You could say that again.

Amu: Well, not entirely. You do write for other sites.

Morg: Yeah, but I've had plenty of time to update these stories so…

Ikuto: Exactly! Make it up to me right now!

Amu: This story is rated T, Ikuto!

Morg: Imagine what your life would be rated if I owned you, Amu.

Ikuto: :3

Amu: No thanks!

**~ At the Water's Edge~**

Ikuto let his gaze slide from the mermaid before him to look out over the water lapping gently beside them. His mind was still attempting to take in everything she'd said. "Can we back up for a second? You can control the elements?"

Raising her eyebrow, Amu turned back to meet the eyes of the other. She was wondering why Ikuto had been so calm when she gave him that bit of information. Usually people scrambled to get away from her. "Yes, I can control the elements."

"Like what elements?"

"How many do you think there are? Water, Earth, Fire, and Wind."

Not quite knowing what to say but knowing better than to not believe the half girl before him, Ikuto attempted to just let the information settle. "That's… unique."

"This is why others fear me. I'm the only one that can bend the forces of nature to my will. When I pulled you out of the ocean after you had drowned, I pulled the water from your lungs and pushed the air in."

Nodding his head without looking at Amu quite yet, Ikuto had to admit that that made sense since she'd pretty much told him the same thing before. "Do you know why you can do that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, were you born under a full moon while the planets were aligned or something like that?"

Laughing, Amu rocked slightly on the sand she was seated on. "No, nothing like that! Honestly, I don't know why. I only know a little of my parents. They didn't survive long after I was born. I've been on my own for most of my life. My familiars have been with me for a long time. I'm out casted for that as well since I have four and most others have one maybe two if they're lucky."

Ikuto returned his gaze onto the beautiful pink haired mermaid before him. Her laugh was amazing along with the spark of joy in her eyes. "Do the other merpeople just find reasons to pick on you?"

Amu simply shrugged her shoulders in response.

Not wanting the conversation to die, Ikuto randomly asked a question. "So what other fish are your familiars? I know you have a rainbow fish. I think you called her Miki?"

Smiling now as they moved onto a topic she was more at ease with, Amu nodded her head. "Yes, Miki is my rainbow fish. I have Ran who is a red snapper, Su the octopus and Dia the mandarin."

Ikuto knew of the fish she was talking about. At one point he was willing to brag that he knew every fish in the sea. Obviously he'd been proven wrong. "So what do familiars do?"

Having to think about the answer to that question for a moment, Amu thought over how she should explain the complex relationship to a human that could never begin to understand. "We take care of one another. Emotionally, physically. We would do anything for one another. I can communicate with my familiars. I can understand them while another merperson would not be able to."

"So their like your best friends?"

"Sort of. The bond is much deeper than that. I know when they are in danger or afraid. I could feel the strain on Miki when you had her out of the ocean. We are linked."

Ikuto nodded. He didn't feel the least bit guilty about having the fish out of the water. It wasn't as if he'd been torturing the creature on purpose. Nor was he about to leave her lying on the beach to die. "So why is it so odd for you to have four and the others to have one or two?"

"Most merpeople don't have-what's the right word to use?-capacity to bond with more than one fish. Those who had two were renowned for their abilities."

"But you aren't even though you have four."

"Correct. Though Su being an octopus is even more odd."

The universe was against this girl. There was no doubt about that in Ikuto's mind. She was so different than any human girl (and the one mermaid) he'd met. The biologist couldn't help but like that about her. "Well at least you have your looks going for you."

Blushing again, Amu didn't know what to say to that. Mermen rarely complimented her without ulterior motives and this was the first time she'd ever talked with a male human. "Th-thanks?"

"Oh it's a compliment. No doubt about that."

With the smirk he wore and the wink he threw at her, Amu blushed more. Were they all this… perverted? "I think I should go."

Noticing that more time had passed than he realized, Ikuto reluctantly nodded. "I should as well. Kukai is waiting for me so he can tell me that he knew I would be upset."

"About what?"

"My stepfather owns the company that works with your king in order to move things across the ocean. They have some sort of deal. Last night he took me to the meeting I told you about. He's forcing me to take over everything once he retires since he doesn't have a different heir. I don't want anything to do with the business, but there is nothing I can do to say no. He would cut off my funding to study the ocean. However, now I know that he was purposely holding back the exploring of the ocean because of the deal he has with the king."

Dragging her lower half back towards the waves, Amu prepared to return to her home. Maybe she'd stop at Nagi and Rima's on her way back. They were the only merpeople that didn't treat her as a freak. Plus she could tell them about this strange human. "You seem very clever to me, Ikuto. I'm certain that you'll figure something out."

Nodding his head at that comment, Ikuto had to admit that his problems seemed rather less worrisome than Amu's. Still didn't make them any less frustrating. "Wait! When can we meet again?"

Without pausing her progress into deeper water, Amu turned back to throw a smile over her shoulder. "I don't know. Maybe we won't be that lucky."

Chuckling, Ikuto couldn't help himself. "For a mermaid as hot as you, I'd search the entire ocean."

There went that heat, rising to her face again. Amu seriously couldn't tell if he just liked teasing her or if he was serious about the comments he made. "Goodbye, Ikuto."

"No, not goodbye. It's see you later."

He received no response from the girl as she disappeared below the waves.

XXX

The swim to Nagi and Rima's cave went by fast as Amu's mind was on other things. Blue haired other things. That human was so strange. Her thoughts were so focused that Amu didn't realize that she was there until she was just outside of their home.

"Just come in, Amu."

Smiling since she should have known that the other knew that she was there. "Hey, how are you doing today?"

Rima glanced over at her friend from where she rested against a large shell. "Nothing."

Amu couldn't blame her friend for being on the mopey side. The girl's husband was gone on a job. Something that both mermaids knew was dangerous. Rima had a right to be a bit put out. "Want to go for a swim?"

No response.

"We could take Kusukusu to my house to play with my girls."

No response.

"Are you hungry?"

"Amu, I know that you are trying to help, but just let me sit here."

Sighing, Amu sat herself on the shell next to one of her only friends. "I can't. You are hurting because Nagi's gone and I hate it when I see you like this. What can I do to make you feel better?"

Rima refused to look at her friend. The words she was about to release were meant in a joking way even if Rima sort of meant them in a serious way. "Use your powers to take over the kingdom and end this stupid deal so that I don't have to worry about Nagihiko being hurt."

Dense as she may be about feelings and interactions and how to behave in social situations, Amu wasn't stupid. A long breath was released from her mouth as she slumped her shoulders down. "I wish I could do just that for you."

"I'm sorry, Amu. I don't mean to be so cold while Nagi isn't here. It's just-"

"You love him. I get it."

The two fell into a comfortable silence for a while. Simply enjoying the presence of the other. Rima was thankful that she wasn't alone with her thoughts. That would make this situation a lot harder for her. Amu was rather good at being there for her while Nagi was gone. "So, anything happen to you today?"

"If you are referring to a run in with Tadase then no. I did meet that human I saved before though."

"What? You saved a human?"

"Yeah, I told you about the one that drowned so I took him to the surface and saved him."

"Oh yeah. So you met with him?"

Amu ruffled her pink locks as she thought over her meeting with the human again. "Yeah. He was casting a net near a cove where the girls and I were playing. He managed to snag Miki so I didn't have a choice but to reveal that I was there. We talked for a while."

A small smirk came over Rima's mouth. Amu talking to someone when she didn't have to was a big deal for the pinkette. "About what?"

"Ourselves. I told him about me and he told me about him. Strange people, humans."

"Not that I disagree, but why do you say that?"

Frowning a little, Amu knew that her friend was going to take what she said the wrong way. "He kept telling me how beautiful he thinks I am and that he would like to teach the ones that bully me a lesson."

Rima's smirk did nothing but grow. Sure, she had a few meetings with a rather energetic human girl, but never had Rima met any other. This man sounded like he was exactly what her friend needed. "Oh really?"

"Don't say it like that! He was just teasing me!"

"Are you sure?"

"I mean, I think so. I don't know! I don't know how humans act!"

Laughing, Rima patted her friend on the back. "Don't worry about it. Are you meeting him again?"

"We didn't make plans to."

Rima knew what that meant. "But you aren't against meeting him again. So you'll be hanging out around the coast for a while, right?"

Blushing again, Amu couldn't deny her friend's assumption. "Only because I want to avoid Tadase!"

Rima didn't believe a word of that. "Yeah, sure."

XXX

"You get home and then instantly drag me off the boat without saying anything. Are you going to tell me what we're doing?"

Ikuto rolled his eyes as Kukai berated him for the hundredth time about his actions earlier. In order to end his suffering, Ikuto finally caved. "We're going to meet with Yaya. I want to know what she knows about the way merperson society works. Amu said that the prince has been courting her recently. I want to know what that entails."

Grinning like the fool he was, Kukai sent a sly look over to the man driving. "So you're worried because you have some fishy competition! You could have just said so!"

"Shut up now if you don't want to walk home."

.

Morg: Things are moving!

Ikuto: So the plot thickens.

Amu: Barely.

Morg: Be nice! I wrote this sort of the spur of the moment! I wasn't even planning it, but Mirene asked for it.

Ikuto: Whatever.

Amu: You tell us all the time that it isn't our opinions that you want!

Morg: That is true! Review please!


	8. Chapter 8

Morg: Heyo! So this is for Sarosh for her birthday! Happy birthday!

Ikuto: So basically you ignore us completely when you want but the moment someone mentions a birthday or requests a chapter you get right to it?

Amu: Sounds about right.

Morg: Hey now! I update for no reason sometimes!

Ikuto: When was the last time you did that?

Amu: You know, if she did own us nothing would ever happen because she's just too lazy.

Morg: Touché.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

Ikuto did not like the look on the face of the man beside him one bit. Ever since he mentioned to his boat mate that Amu had a prince trying to get close to her, Kukai had put a goofy grin on his face and was in way too happy of a mood. "If you don't knock that shit off I'm going to kick you out of the car without stopping."

Turning his head only slightly so that Kukai was still looking at Ikuto from the corner of his eye with his creepy smile in place, the boat dweller couldn't help but just cheese up his expression even more. "Can't a man be happy that is best friend finally has an interest in a girl? Even if the whole things seems a bit… fishy?"

Groaning, Ikuto searched the ditch along the side of the road for anything to slam his car into. If he hit it right, he could walk away without a scratch while Kukai was left severely injured and unable to make ridiculous puns. "How long have you been thinking of that one?"

"All day."

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

Lacing his fingers together behind his head, Kukai leaned back against his seat in a pleased manner. "Don't be jealous because you didn't think of it first."

Sending a rather pointed look at his friend before focusing once more on the road, Ikuto had to refute that statement and make himself perfectly clear. "I will never, I repeat _never_, be jealous of you for any reason ever."

Having the type of personality that gave him the ability to hear what he wanted and take whatever was said to him in any way that he wanted, Kukai decided to just keep his smug look on his face as he watched the dark scenery slip by their car. Too bad that Yaya chick couldn't live closer to them.

Knowing that he actually had no effect on the mindset of the man in his passenger seat, Ikuto looked for more objects to hit in order to kill the other. The desire to see Yaya was the only thing keeping Kukai alive at the moment though that didn't mean Ikuto wasn't going to think about the possibilities. Oh yes, the possibilities. Like that fence post, or the mailbox that looked as though it had a strong base. Let's not forget the telephone pole that looked more than promising.

Ikuto was so caught up in imagining a certain man's death over and over again he almost missed the turn for Yaya's driveway. Luckily he remembered before Kukai seemed to notice his almost mistake. "Come on, I don't think she knows we're coming."

Kukai was about to reply to that statement when the door of the house was flung open and Yaya stood just inside the small building with a giant smile on her face.

"Yaya was waiting for you to come back!"

Chuckling, Kukai nudged Ikuto with his shoulder. "You were saying?"

Calming himself by imagining the satisfaction of wrapping his hands around the sides of Kukai's head and snapping the man's neck, Ikuto tried to remind himself that his anger really wasn't to be directed at Kukai. His friend really hadn't done anything wrong, Ikuto was just frustrated in general and Kukai was just an easy target.

"Hey Yaya! We're here because Ikuto wants to ask you more questions and figure out how to _hook_ up with the _fish_ he wants to _catch_."

Then again, maybe Kukai was the right target. "You'll be walking back."

Sighing, Kukai just followed the other man into the house. He knew that he wasn't going to be walking back, but sometimes Ikuto was too much of a stick in the mud.

Yaya was more than happy to let the two men into her house. Ikuto had even brought back some of her books. "Ikuto-san wants to go fishing?"

Deciding it best to just ignore the question, Ikuto placed the books he'd brought on the table before seating himself on Yaya's couch. "What can you tell me about Prince Tadase?"

The rather energetic girl seemed to lose a bit of spunk for about a second. A second that Ikuto noticed despite the girl shaking her head and smiling once more. "Yaya doesn't know much more than what Yaya's friends tell her. Yaya does know that Prince Tadase-kun isn't one to like being seen as weak. Prince Tadase-kun seems to like having power."

Kukai joined the two sitting in the living room before crossing his arms over his chest. "Bummer, even though the dudes a prince he's still power hungry. Bet he doesn't have many friends."

Yaya giggled as her pigtails swayed to the shaking of her head. "Yaya's friends say that the prince only has his sister."

"You mean Utau."

Pausing, Yaya turned to look over at Ikuto with a slightly surprised look on her young face. "Ikuto-shi knows Utau-chan?"

"I had to meet her when my stepfather took me out to sea with him and showed me the merpeople. That's partly what led to us coming here last time. That and Amu saved my life when I about drowned."

"Amu-chi saved Ikuto-shi's life? Ikuto-shi is very lucky Amu-chi was there!"

Nodding his head, Ikuto had to agree. "That I know, so what do you know of the royal brats?"

Fiddling with her fingers, Yaya tried to figure out the best way to describe the two. Her source wasn't exactly unbiased when it came to talking about the royal family. "Yaya has heard that Utau-chan and Tadase-kun are very spoiled and get anything they want. King-sama will give them anything."

"So let's say that Tadase wants Amu, what would he have to do?"

"Amu-chi is different. Amu-chi is not under the rule of King-sama. King-sama is afraid of Amu-chi. Tadase-kun would not be able to get Amu-chi that way."

Rather pleased to hear that, Ikuto relaxed a bit. Amu had mentioned that the prince was attempting to court her but since the kiddy-king could do nothing via his father to accomplish his means then that meant that Amu could reject him all she wanted. "Good to know."

Yaya nodded happily, pleased to have told something to Ikuto that he didn't already know. Yaya liked having valuable information to share, especially with new friends.

After a few seconds of silence, Kukai decided that neither of the others were going to talk again until he finally said something. "So, Yaya, can you tell us any interesting stories that you have heard from your merperson friend that you liked?"

Ikuto scowled a bit at his friend. This wasn't the direction that he wanted the conversation to go, even if it had died a bit. The look on Yaya's face, however, kept him from interrupting.

Yaya about flew out of here chair. Kukai always seemed to ask such interesting questions. "Yaya has heard the tale of the Tear. Have Kukai-san or Ikuto-shi heard anything about the Tear?"

"Tear? Like when someone is crying? That sort of tear?"

Yaya nodded her head vigorously before jumping out of her chair and racing from the room. Ikuto and Kukai had only a moment to exchange looks before the girl was back with a picture that looked to be hand drawn.

"Did you draw that, Yaya?"

Smiling, Yaya nodded once more. "Yaya's friend told the story and Yaya wrote it down. Later, Yaya added pictures!"

Kukai took the book that the younger girl offered before flipping a couple of pages. The artwork wasn't horrible. "Cool."

Yaya blushed a bit before focusing back on Ikuto while Kukai looked at her book. "Ikuto-shi can take the book to look at it! Yaya does not mind! The Tear was created by Mirene-sama! Mirene-sama was a powerful mermaid that fell in love with a human boy! Mirene-sama wanted to be with him but couldn't because Mirene-sama was a mermaid! Mermaids are not humans!"

If it wasn't for the interesting content behind what the girl was saying, Ikuto would have been rather annoyed by the girl stating the obvious. "So what happened with Mirene-sama and her human boy?"

"Mirene-sama loved him and he loved Mirene-sama but they could not be together so Mirene-sama used her powers to create the Tear after Mirene-sama's boy died. Mermaids live longer than humans of course so Mirene-sama was so sad. She put all her power into the only Tear she cried. Since merpeople don't cry, it was strange for Mirene-sama to cry that tear!"

Ikuto couldn't help but wonder what sort of power Mirene had to put into that Tear and what it could do. "Do you know anything else about it?"

"Yaya doesn't know much. Ikuto-shi can read the story in Yaya's book!"

Kukai continued to flip through the rather long book to see the pictures that Yaya drew along with reading a few words here and there. The girl did a pretty nice job of creating the thing. "Thanks for letting us use it."

Yaya smiled happily as Ikuto and Kukai pushed up off the couch. "Yaya would love for Ikuto-shi to read it!"

Ikuto couldn't help but wonder what sort of power Mirene had to put into that Tear and what it could do. "Do you know anything else about it?"

"Yaya doesn't know much. Ikuto-shi can read the story in Yaya's book!"

Kukai continued to flip through the rather long book to see the pictures that Yaya drew along with reading a few words here and there. The girl did a pretty nice job of creating the thing. "Thanks for letting us use it."

Yaya smiled happily as Ikuto and Kukai pushed up off the couch. "Yaya would love for Ikuto-shi and Kukai-san to come back and talk more soon!"

Heading for the door after making certain that Kukai still had the book in his possession, Ikuto smiled at the girl. "Thank you again, Yaya. We'll be back soon. I promise to take good care of your book."

Waving, Yaya only smiled. "Yaya knows that Ikuto-shi will do a good job!"

Kukai simply saluted towards the girl that giggled at him before climbing back into Ikuto's car. The book being the reason he was indeed getting a ride back. The bird owner wasn't as stupid as he looked. Holding the book meant that he got to be in the car.

Ikuto didn't bother with the speed limit on his way back to their boat. He was rather interested in learning about what that book held in the form of its story. Something told to Yaya by a merperson them. A story that was more than likely not just a myth. Ikuto wanted to know what it was about. He wanted to know more about the Tear and what it could do. "I would like to read that as soon as we get back so if you want to look it over a bit now that's fine."

Kukai nodded before turning on his light and flipping through the pages some more. He'd have plenty of time to read it properly once Ikuto was done scouring the pages. "Seems interesting."

Ikuto didn't reply as they sped through the night. The journey home seemed to take a significantly less amount of time than the ride to Yaya's. Once he was home, however, Ikuto wasn't able to start reading the book right away like he had wanted to. Hanging from the door of their boat was a note for the owner. One that said that Ikuto had a meeting with his _beloved_ stepfather and if he refused or skipped it then the boat would be taken away from him.

Angered, Ikuto ripped the small note from the door before storming inside. He didn't have to go until the next day, but a meeting with his stepfather only meant that he was about to do something he didn't want to or was about to lose some more of his freedom. "Just fucking great."

Seeing the state of the other and figuring out why without reading the crumpled paper on the floor, Kukai brought Yaya's work into the boat without wanting to make Ikuto's mood worse. "I'm sure it'll be nothing."

Ikuto slammed his door in response.

.

Morg: Whoa! More plot reveled! I hope you enjoyed that.

Ikuto: Whatever.

Amu: I wasn't in this chapter so it's fine.

Morg: You were referenced!

Ikuto: People read this crap for Amuto.

Amu: I would argue but you have a point.

Morg: And that epicness is coming! Especially since I got the plot moving with the introduction of the legend! You'll find out more later! Let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

Morg: Heyo! I should really just stop saying that it has been a while…

Ikuto: Only because you would have to say it before every chapter you write.

Amu: True that.

Morg: That's why I said I wouldn't say it.

Ikuto: Then don't.

Amu: You can't really tell her what to do since she can't tell us what to do.

Morg: Yeah! Don't try to hold me down!

Ikuto: You are so lame.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

Once again in the one place he'd rather not be, Ikuto stood in front of his stepfather's desk. The man, though he called for the meeting, was ignoring him to finish some paperwork. Ikuto's patience was out before he'd ever step foot through the door. Making him wait like the man was doing was going to cause the young biologist to have a mental breakdown.

Mentally reminding himself over and over again that saying something harsh at this point in time could only make whatever was going to be taken away from him worse, Ikuto bit on his tongue. Not until the man he hated most finally sat back and put his pen down did Ikuto allow himself to actually breathe.

"What I'm about to tell you is nonnegotiable. Do you understand?"

The force of his teeth biting down on his tongue made the metallic taste of blood fill his mouth. Ikuto forced himself to nod.

"The king of the merpeople has requested that in order to alliance our two families and companies forever, you marry his daughter. I have agreed. You will do this."

Ikuto knew. He knew the moment he met that stupid fish that something he wasn't going to like was going to happen. "When?"

"You aren't going to argue?"

"You said I couldn't."

"There is apparently some sort of magical stone that the king has allowed his daughter and son to go find that has the power to turn a mermaid human and vice versa. When they bring the stone, you will be wed."

"Is that all?"

Nodding his head, Ikuto's stepfather allowed for the boy he was going to leave everything to, leave his office.

Ikuto was barely out of the building before his cellphone was ringing against his ear as he waited for Kukai to answer.

"_What up?"_

"That bastard is marrying me off to the mermaid princess if she can find that Tear. Did you read the book from Yaya?"

_"Not yet, but hey, she has to find it, right? Maybe she won't."_

Sliding into the driver's seat of his car, Ikuto frowned. "Maybe I won't let her get it first. Get the ship ready to sail. We're leaving port. The old man didn't say I had to stick around while the two royal brats searched."

_"Two royal brats?"_

"Yeah, he said that the prince was going along, which means that Amu is probably somehow involved. I'm not going to let that kiddy king do anything to _my_ Amu."

Laughter filtered out of the speaker of Ikuto's phone as he turned down several roads. Kukai sounded more amused than he should, but Ikuto wasn't focused on that at the moment.

_"Don't worry, Daichi and I will have the boat ready to sail before you get here."_

Ikuto shifted his car into park. He jumped out without bothering to shut the vehicle off as he ran from it. "You better get the extra bedroom ready as well."

_"Why?"_

Ringing the doorbell, Ikuto stood back as he waited for the owner of the house to answer the door. "Because I'm bringing Yaya with us."

Yaya opened the door to find Ikuto hanging up his phone. "Ikuto-shi has come to visit Yaya so soon?"

Smirking, Ikuto pushed past the brown haired girl to enter her house. "Pack whatever you need, Yaya. We're going to be gone for a while."

XXX

Humming happily, Utau used her powerful tail to propel her down the hallways of her palace. Her father, the king, had just given her the thing she wanted most. That human boy would be hers if she had the Tear. The only other merperson she would rely on to help her get it was her younger brother. "Tadase!"

"What do you want?"

Pouting, Utau moved through her brother's room without invite to sit on a lounge. "Daddy granted my request. I'm going to go after the Tear."

Lifting his gaze up from the recent reports his guards had turned in about a certain pink haired mermaid, Tadase glared. "I told you not to talk to me about that."

Smirking, Utau knew that she needed her brother's help with her quest. "Fine, fine, but let me ask you this. How's your courtship with that freak going?"

"You better not be talking about Amu."

"Harsh, and if I was?"

"Get out."

Clicking her tongue against her teeth, Utau only leaned back more where she sat. "Too bad you don't have the power to make her bend to your will."

"I do!"

"Ha! Amu doesn't listen to Daddy! Why would she listen to you!? A fish like Amu needs to be taught her place. I know how you can do it."

Knowing that he was going to regret the question before it was ever out of his mouth, Tadase looked up at his sister. "How?"

"Come with me. We'll find the Tear. I'll get my human and you'll get Amu."

"It has that sort of power?"

"Of course."

Tadase sat in silence for a few moments. Everything else he'd tried so far had backfired on him. Amu was too good at dodging the men he sent to beat her, and she wouldn't see him as her savior. "On one condition."

Gleefully, Utau sat up. "Name it."

"We bring the nerd."

Laughing, Utau swam for the exit of her brother's room. "Done."

XXX

Kukai stood, Daichi on shoulder, waiting at the plank for Ikuto and Yaya to arrive. Their yacht was more than ready to go. Kukai had even taken the time to get groceries for their journey. There wasn't much that he could get considering he didn't know how long they'd be gone, but he did what he could.

The moment he saw the car pull up, the first mate-as he liked to call himself-rushed down the dock to help Yaya with whatever she was bringing. The sound of barking almost pulled him up short. "A dog?"

Ikuto glared at his friend as he moved past him with several bags and boxes already in hand. "Don't ask."

"But-"

"Just help her with the rest."

Kukai sighed before turning back to help Yaya with a few other boxes and bags. "What's all this?"

"Ikuto-shi didn't tell Yaya how long Yaya would be gone so Yaya brought everything!"

Realizing that most of what he carried was probably Yaya's mermaid related stuff, Kukai just grinned before taking his load back towards the boat. "You brought a dog?"

"Yaya couldn't leave Pepe! Pepe is Yaya's treasured Pomeranian!"

Daichi swirled through the air to land on Kukai's shoulder. "Don't worry, Yaya. I know exactly how you feel! I'd never leave Daichi behind. Let's get you on board so we can leave before someone tries to stop us."

Nodding her head with more vigor than she should have, Yaya grabbed her remaining luggage and pulled her little dog along with her towards the boat. "Kukai-san and Ikuto-shi don't have to worry about Pepe! Pepe has plenty of food and loves the sea!"

Grinning, Kukai just nodded as he helped Yaya onto their boat and made certain everything was ready for them to set sail. He let them loose from the pier before hurrying up to where Ikuto stood at the wheel. "We're ready."

Glancing back over his shoulder, Ikuto smirked at the land that they were already a good distance from. Several black cars sat with men rushing out only to stare at the leaving ship. "Looks like we made it just in time."

Slugging his best friend on the arm, Kukai grinned. "I've got something that I trained Daichi to do. Ready?"

Rolling his eyes, Ikuto nodded. "Let's get this over with."

Kukai couldn't help but chuckle as he moved towards the control panel and plucked out a small device that Ikuto's stepfather had installed in the boat himself. They were told that it wasn't ever allowed to leave the boat unless Ikuto wanted to lose his ship. "Daichi, return."

Ikuto felt a smile slowly form on his lips as the bird took the small tracking device and flew back towards where Ikuto could see the men his stepfather had sent were standing. The bird dropped it on their heads before squawking loudly and swooping back towards the yacht. "Brilliant."

Giving his little, feathery friend a cracker, Kukai just nodded. "I knew you'd like that! Let's sail!"

XXX

Amu was just about to go out for a swim when she was pushed back into her cave by one of her best friends. "Rima? What's-"

"Shhh! I had to swim as fast as I could straight here. Kusu-Kusu is helping me keep guard. I had to tell you right away."

An alarmed feeling slowly crept its way into Amu's chest. "What's wrong?"

"Princess Utau and Prince Tadase set out today on a quest. They're going after Mirene's Tear."

Golden eyes widening, Amu stared shocked at her friend. "Are you certain?"

"Kairi barely had time to tell me before they forced him to go along."

Amu moved further back from her friend as she ran a hand through her pink hair. "We have to stop them. There is a reason that Mirene's Tear is hidden. They could die."

Quickly nodding her head, Rima couldn't help but agree with her friend. Even if they didn't like the royal children so much, Kairi had been forced along and the journey was dangerous. "We need to find Nagihiko and try and stop them."

Amu caught herself nodding as she tried to figure out what she should do. "Do you know why they're going after it?"

Rima hesitated for only a moment. She knew of her friend's unacknowledged crush on the human boy she saved. This wasn't going to make her happy. "Princess Utau decreed that if she finds the Tear then she will marry the human you saved. He's the son of the man the king does business with."

As if the news couldn't have gotten any worse, Amu actually felt her mouth go dry-a very hard feat for someone who lived underwater. "A-and Tadase?"

"Power."

"He thinks the Tear will make him powerful? He's already the prince!"

"But he doesn't have you."

"What?"

"Think about it, Amu. You're the one that he's been after and you're the one he can't get. Why else would he go after it?"

Nodding her head though she still didn't want to believe it, Amu couldn't find a logical argument for her friend. "And they dragged Kairi along to show them the way."

"That boy has always been too smart for his own good. So what do we do?"

"Like you said, we get Nagihiko and we try and stop them."

"And if they won't be stopped?"

"Then we'll have to get the Tear first so they can't do anything stupid with it."

Rima grinned at her friend just as her clown fish darted into the cave. "Kusu says that guards are coming. We have to go."

Amu motioned for her friend to follow as her fish gathered around her flowing pink hair. "Don't worry, I have a second exit."

As they snuck out of Amu's cave, Rima couldn't help but worry. "How are we going to find Nagi?"

Smiling, Amu gave her friend a pat on her shoulder. "I won't have any problem with that."

Grinning, Rima knew she had made a good choice the day she became friends with Amu. This was turning out to be one heck of an adventure.

.

Morg: So a couple of character introductions. You met Pepe, Kusu-Kusu and Kairi was referenced even if he wasn't in the scene.

Ikuto: Whatever.

Amu: Don't be sour because you have to marry Utau.

Morg: That's never going to happen.

Ikuto: Better not. The chick is my sister.

Amu: But not in this story.

Morg: Anyways! The plot is moving! Hold onto your seats! Let's get ready to ride! Enjoy~


	10. Chapter 10

Morg: Heyo! So does everyone understand that several groups of characters are all heading for the same location?

Ikuto: Are you asking if we're stupid readers?

Amu: Uh duh. How could we not know that?

Morg: I'm just saying, some people might not have understood.

Ikuto: If Amu gets it then everyone should get it.

Amu: Yeah! …Hey!

Morg: She did agree to that.

Ikuto: I knew she would.

Amu: If you did own us, I'd steal the rights from you just for that.

Morg: If I owned you, you wouldn't be able to do so since you'd be busy.

Ikuto: Ah yeah!

Amu: Nope!

**~At the Water's Edge~**

Four days at sea. Four days at sea and everyone was still alive. The dog, the bird, Kukai, Yaya, everyone. Ikuto wasn't entirely certain how it was possible considering the crap he'd had to put up with the last few days, but everyone was still breathing. Granted, he had only tried to kill Kukai twice, and Yaya had rescued her dog, Pepe, before anything too bad could happen to it. That and Ikuto constantly reminded himself that he was doing all of this for himself and Amu. There would be no point in killing himself since Amu needed him. At least, he liked to think that Amu needed him.

With that thought in mind, the captain of the small boat tried to remain calm as he sat at the bolted down table with Yaya. The girl was pouring over several books. Being that their voyage began rather abruptly, Ikuto and Kukai hadn't really had time to think about where they were going or where they could find the Tear. Being that Yaya came along as their 'expert', the captain decided to ask the lady for her help, which was what they were currently doing. Yaya was going to figure out which way they could go in order to find what they were searching for.

Closing her books, Yaya leaned back in her chair before rubbing her face with her hands. Scouring the books hadn't been easy. She'd look for any possible detail and come to a conclusion. "Yaya has no idea."

"What!?"

"Yaya looked through everything and there is no mention of a direction. Yaya doesn't know where to go."

Throwing his hands up in the air, Ikuto tried not to take his anger out on the girl before him. She'd put a lot of effort into look so he knew that she hadn't been just slacking off. The girl truly didn't know. "Did anything mention any sort of landmarks?"

Shaking her head, Yaya felt her pigtails bounce off her cheeks as she let the captain down. "No, all that Yaya found was that Ikuto-shi must take Yaya and Kukai-san through all of the elements."

Dropping his head against the rather hard table, Ikuto let that just sink in. "The four elements. You mean like, earth, water, air and fire? How do we pass through elements? This is so confusing. We need a better plan."

Thinking hard for a few minutes, Yaya sighed. "Yaya thinks we should head north."

"Why north?"

"Because the last boat that Ikuto-shi's stepfather sent out was heading north."

Lifting his head from the table, Ikuto had several reasons to disagree with that plan. "That means we should go the opposite way. I'm certain he's sent information to them already, alerting them to the fact that I'm on the run and they should capture me if seen."

"Yaya knows that, but Yaya also knows that one of Yaya's merman friends is guarding Ikuto-shi's stepfather's ship."

Catching on to what the girl was suggesting, Ikuto saw some hope at last. "Yaya, you are brilliant! We can avoid getting captured, and if we find your merman friend then we can find the right way to go about getting to the Tear!"

Happy that the boy was excited with her plan, Yaya nodded her head vigorously. "Yaya knows the plan will work, even if Yaya has never met the merman!"

Ikuto's hope was quickly fading away. "What!?"

XXX

Rima was tired. Complaining wasn't an option. They were going to find Nagihiko and then go after the stupid royals and Kairi. Being tired was something she couldn't afford, especially when Amu didn't seem fazed at all by the fast paced swimming and distance they were traveling. The blonde mermaid just kept her discomfort to herself and pushed her limits. Maybe she should have worked out more often.

Amu wasn't stupid. Maybe a little dense when it came to her feelings or sometimes how people felt about her, but she wasn't blind. Obviously, Rima needed a break. There really wasn't a question there. Amu had four companions to help give her strength while Rima only had one. The odds had been against her friend from the beginning. If their quest wasn't so important, Amu wouldn't have been pushing them like she was. "Rima, let's rest for a bit."

"No, we can't afford to stop."

Sighing, Amu pulled her friend to a stop and shook her head. "We can. Nagi isn't more than a day away and once we get there, we're going to need our strength in order to get him away from the others. I don't think they'll just let one of their guards go so easily. Let's rest and plan."

Rima couldn't with that, so instead she settled on some of the rocks along the ocean ridge they were near. Kusu rested beside her. The little fish was just as tired and so very far from their home. "Okay, so what are you thinking?"

Considering that their sudden journey was entirely unplanned, Amu hadn't actually thought that far ahead. Getting to where Nagi was, was the most important thing in her mind. What they were going to do when they go there was sort of still in question. "Uh, I suppose that depends on when we approach them. I suggest we sort of hang back and observe before we make our move. If we get the chance to sort of just snag him then that's what we'll aim for."

Nodding along to what Amu was suggesting, Rima couldn't help but be slightly put out that Amu wasn't more prepared. Then again, rescuing people wasn't exactly Amu's forte. Unless you counted that one human. "Kusu can help out as well. Daichi will recognize her instantly and he'll alert Nagi without anyone else being the wiser."

"Good, then we'll have her help as well. Are you feeling a bit rested? We don't have to travel as quickly now since we're already so close and we don't want to alert them to our presence. Do you think you can continue?"

Reminding herself that this was to see Nagihiko, Rima nodded her head. "I can definitely handle this."

Amu just smiled as she directed them in the direction that Nagihiko was currently in. The ship that the merpeople guarded wasn't exactly moving fast, though Amu could feel the discomfort in the water. It wasn't the ship so much, as it was what lurked beneath the waves. There was a reason for merpeople to guard the ships that sailed these waters.

The pinkette wasn't certain whether or not Rima could sense the same foreboding she could. Granted, Amu was gifted in ways that most merpeople were not, which was why she wasn't certain if Rima was aware of the warning in the water. The blonde certainly didn't show that she felt anything was off. Amu didn't really want to bring it up if Rima wasn't aware of it. Partly because the mermaid was already working hard to just make it to her husband, and partly because Amu was hoping that she was reading too much into the water currents.

The closer they moved to the ship, however, the thicker the water seemed to get. Amu didn't understand. The ocean wasn't becoming deeper than it usually was. The currents that they swam along weren't different than the ones they usually swam along, and yet the atmosphere screamed for her to be on guard. Thus, Amu was overly observant with all of her senses, even her companion fish were on guard.

Unable to stand the tension any longer, Amu turned to her traveling companion. "Rima, do you feel anything?"

Exhausted, Rima shook her head as she continued to move her tail. There wasn't much she was concentrating on besides moving forwards. "No, do you?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Amu couldn't explain it. "Sort of."

Intrigued, Rima welcomed the distraction from her own tired thoughts. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just-"

Whatever had been about to say was cut off when shouts were heard in the water.

"_Stay together! Don't allow for it to touch the ship! This is what we're paid for!"_

Eyes widening, Amu finally understood what it was that she felt. A predator was lurking ahead. The monster was going to attack the ship that the mermen guarded. The ship that Nagi guarded. "Rima, Nagi has to fight it!"

Mouth opening when the realization struck home, Rima felt a sudden burst of energy as she propelled herself forwards towards the fight.

"Wait! Rima! Wait!"

The small blonde ignored her friend and continued on. The only thing she could think about was Nagihiko being in some sort of danger.

Acting quickly, Amu motioned for Su and Miki to stop the blonde while she continued on with Ran and Dia. This was the deal made. The merpeople protected the cargo ships from the sea monsters. They were trained for these sorts of fights, and yet Amu knew that she was going to be needed for this one. The presence of the creature in the water was beyond daunting.

The blurry objects ahead of her became clearer the closer Amu got. She could hear Rima struggling behind her with Su and Miki, but the octopus and rainbow fish were more than capable of keeping the mermaid out of trouble.

Long tentacles rose up from the deep towards the slow moving ship. Amu watched as some of the mermen rammed spears deep into the thick skin of the monster. Shrieks of agony and anger sounded from the deep.

Feeling the change in the water that Amu knew that none of the others would be able to feel, she tried to warn them. "Stop! Get out of the way!"

Some of the mermen looked towards her in confusion. Others continued on with their task of protecting the ship. Only one seemed to realize who she actually was. "Amu?"

"Nagi, it's coming up! The beast is rising! Get out of here!"

The commander wasn't too impressed with the sudden appearance of some girl. "Why should we listen to you?"

Realizing that the man didn't know who she was, Nagihiko moved quickly. "Sir, this is Amu-chan."

Several seconds later, the man looked frightened. "Get away from us!"

Scowling, Amu sent a wave of water with her hand to push all the soldiers away from the creature. The wave so powerful that it caused some of the tentacles to sway with it. "I told you to move! I suggest you listen!"

Trying to regroup his men, the commander wasn't about to let some witch ruin their mission. "We have to protect the ship!"

"And I will, if you allow for Nagihiko to leave with me after I save your asses."

"Are you trying to make a deal with me?"

"I'm waiting."

The creature was definitely coming. The outline of exactly how massive it was came into view. The sounds of its angry calls were clearer in the water.

Realizing all of this, the commander relented. "Fine. Do what you want!"

Collecting her strength and allowing for her mind to slip further into its connection with the elements, Amu focused on the task at hand. The ship needed to continue moving along or it'd be taken. The monster hadn't gotten a hold of it yet, but that didn't mean that it couldn't. Pulling her hands to her hips, Amu thrust them forwards in front of her chest. The water moved automatically as she willed it. A wave moved the ship along faster, causing the current attempts the creature was making fail.

Once more and then again, Amu sent waves to push the ship out of danger. "Guard it now!"

The commander nodded before motioning for his men to regroup under the ship that was much further along than it should have been.

Lifting her hand into the water above her head, Amu twirled her fingers. Though it didn't look as though she was doing anything, the sky above the water was swirling in time with her fingers. Amu could feel the air gathering. Her wrist began moving to add speed to the wind above the waves. Just as the creature's face came into view, Amu brought her hand down in one swift motion.

A spear of wind cut through the surface of the water and straight into the beast's face. A loud angry shriek laced with pain sounded beneath the waves. The pinkette was unrelenting as she brought another powerful wind spear down onto the creature. When she knew that the beast was far enough in the deep, the pinkette brought her hands together in front of her chest. The action wasn't viewable by anyone around them, but Amu knew that giant rocks were crushing down onto different parts of the huge creature's body. There wasn't enough harm being done to actually kill it, though Amu made certain that they'd all have plenty of time to get away safely before the creature could dig itself out.

Exhausted, the pinkette slumped forwards. Lucky for her, Rima and Nagi were both there to catch her. Like the good friends that they were, they wrapped her arms around their shoulders to keep her up. Lifting her head to look at the commander, Amu struggled to remain conscious. Her powers didn't usually take so much out of her, but the long swim before using them had already put her in an exhausted state. "Our deal."

Nodding his head, albeit reluctantly, the commander conceded for Nagihiko to go. "Our thanks to you."

Nodding her head in return, Amu whispered for them to leave. "I need to rest. Let's find a shore since the water is too deep here. Head east for a bit and you'll find an island."

Not questioning their friend, Nagihiko and Rima did as instructed with their familiars behind them.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are the two of you doing here anyways?"

Sighing, Rima almost forgot about their original quest. "Utau and Tadase kidnapped Kairi in search of the Tear. Amu and I came to get you so we could go and stop them from getting hurt."

Not really knowing what to say to that, Nagihiko couldn't help but feel no surprise because of the royal children's actions. The two weren't the brightest. "Well shit."

.

Morg: Amu is awesome.

Ikuto: I agree!

Amu: Yes I am!

Morg: I hope you saw what I did there! Please look forward to some happenings in the next chapter!

Ikuto: As long as those happenings are a bit citrusy, I'm always looking forward to them.

Amu: Pervert! Not happening!

Morg: I am the writing this, you just remember that!


	11. Chapter 11

Morg: Heyo! Exciting things happening here! Are you ready? I'm ready!

Ikuto: Do we want to know?  
>Amu: Probably not.<p>

Morg: I'm talking about the story and stuff.

Ikuto: Oh. By exciting, do you mean-

Amu: She definitely does not mean anything by it.

Morg: Maybe.

Ikuto: Ah yeah!

Amu: You don't own us! You can't make me do anything!

Morg: I write what I write!

Ikuto: Boomshakalaka!

**~At the Water's Edge~**

The island was there just as Amu had said it would be. Rima and Nagihiko were extremely pleased once they could allow their friend to rest upon the warm sand. The waves kept their tails wet as Amu lay where they placed her.

Looking out at the ocean, Rima fiddled with her hands for a bit before Nagihiko held them still. "Amu, how long do you think you need to rest?"

Shaking her head weakly, Amu didn't want to rest. Resting for a lengthy period of time would make them fall behind Utau and Tadase more than they already were. "Just give me a few minutes."

Frowning, Nagihiko continued to rub soothing circles on the back of his lover's hands. The circles kept him calm as well as Rima. "You need more than a few minutes, Amu. You just defeated a sea monster. They aren't easy to battle when you're completely rested. We've got time to let you recuperate, not to mention Rima needs to rest as well."

"We don't have time for that. Utau and Tadase have Kairi-"

Cutting Amu off, Nagi nodded his head to show that he really did understand. "Yes, I know. They took Kairi and they're heading for the Tear, but almost killing yourself just to catch up to them isn't going to prevent them from going any further. You have to rest."

Amu wanted to argue. She truly did, but the sand was warm beneath her and the ocean kept her moist while she rest on the beach. Her body ached. She'd never really had to use her powers for such a large task before. Usually, if she used them at all, Amu used them on mundane things. The exhaustion she felt now was new to her. Sleep would be the best way to counter the effect her powers had on her body. If only there was time for that. "We still can't take longer than we need to. Let me sleep for a few hours and we'll go."

Knowing that they wouldn't be able to get a better deal out of their friend, the other two merpeople only nodded as Amu went to sleep.

XXX

The ship they were trying to get close to was supposed to be just up ahead. Ikuto continued to remind himself that finding the ship was a good idea. His stepfather couldn't track his boat anymore, but that didn't mean that the people on the other ship couldn't alert the man to where they were. However, they needed one of the mermen that were guarding said ship, so it had to be a good idea to get closer. Ikuto had no idea how they were going to speak to said merman once they got to where they were going, or what they were going to do to convince him to take them to the Tear. All he knew was that they were going to the ship. Anything beyond that would just have to work itself out.

Playing with Daichi, Kukai noticed Ikuto's growing anxiety. "Dude, everything will work out. We'll just get this merman guy that Yaya knows and split. So they'll know we're in the area, by tomorrow we could be anywhere. They won't be able to do anything to catch us."

As stupid as his friend could be sometimes, Ikuto knew that Kukai was rather smart. That and the boy had been his friend long enough that they had the uncanny ability to just understand what the other was thinking or feeling. "That's only part of it though. How do we get the merman to talk to us? Yaya doesn't actually know him, remember? We could end up following the boat for days before there is even a chance to speak to any of them. That could be our downfall."

"There's a kink in our plans, sure, but that doesn't mean we have to give up. If we don't try-"

"We can't succeed. I know."

Sighing, Kukai glanced at the radar in the hopes of finding something to cheer his captain up with. "There is an island not too far from here. Why don't we stop there quick, see if there's anything we can take to replenish our food supplies, think a bit and then press on?"

Ikuto didn't really feel like stopping at some random island, but Kukai's grin and upbeat personality made him want to get off the yacht and away from the others for at least a little while. Yaya's dog was rather annoying. The little thing liked to bark a lot. "Sure, let's stop there."

Cheering, Kukai hit a few buttons to take the large boat off its autopilot and took over the steering himself. With Daichi perched on his shoulder, the brown haired boy grinned into the distance towards where he could just make out the form of the island they were now going to explore. "This is going to be fun, Daichi. You'll have a chance to really stretch your wings! Want to go scope it out? You can wait until we get closer if you want."

Rolling his eyes, Ikuto wanted to point out that the bird wasn't really that smart. There was no way that Daichi had the mental capability to fly ahead as a scout and alert them to anything that might be on the island. It just wasn't possible.

This was why Ikuto was stunned when they got closer and Daichi actually flew off towards the island and circled around a few times before giving out a call.

"That means that someone is on the island. Best if we be careful."

Ikuto just kept his mouth shut. There was no way he was willing to be wrong twice in one day.

XXX

"Oh, look at the bird, Nagi. He's pretty."

The two that were snuggled up on the sand just beside their friend had been playing with their companions and Amu's to pass the time. They didn't really spend much time on land, no merpeople did, but this was an exception since they needed a safe place from the sea monster for Amu to rest. They knew the beast wasn't dead.

The cry that the bird let out made Nagi cringe. "Looks pretty but doesn't sound the same."

The comment had Rima giggling.

The cry, unfortunately, woke Amu up. "How long have I been sleeping?"

Judging from the position of the sun, Nagihiko gave the pinkette a shrug. "I'd say no more than two hours. We were going to let you sleep for one more and then wake you."

Nodding while she yawned, Amu rolled into a more comfortable position. "Then I'll rest just a bit longer. Please make certain it isn't too long."

Rima was about to reply with a scoff and a roll of her eyes when they widened at the sight of a rather nice boat coming around the point of the island. "A-Amu! We have to hide!"

Popping her eyes open at the frantic sound of her friend's voice, Amu sat up to look around for what could possibly have frightened Rima. The yacht was what she found. "Oh no!"

The two mermaids and merman tried to move quickly, but the sound of a voice made Amu stop.

"AMU-CHI! YAYA FINALLYS GETS TO MEET YOU!~"

Eyes wide to show her shock, Amu looked over at the heads just sticking out of the water. "How do they know me?"

Hissing, Rima jerked her head for her friend to join them. "Who cares?! Come on!"

Something held Amu back. With her body halfway covered in water, the mermaid waited for the boat to get closer. "Who are you?"

Being that the boat was between her and the sun, all Amu could make out at first were the silhouettes of two people standing at the railing. Then the flash of dark blue registered in her eyes.

"You don't know me?"

"Ikuto."

Pleased that his name didn't sound to be a question from the pink haired mermaid that he rather adored, Ikuto smirked. "The one and only. Fancy meeting you here, Amu-koi."

Scowling at the endearment, Amu flicked her tail back and forth a few times in the water. It wouldn't take much to send her to meet Nagi and Rima where she knew they were waiting just beneath the waves. "I don't have time to chat with you today, Ikuto."

Leaning against the railing of his boat, Ikuto still couldn't believe his eyes. They didn't even have to get close to the other ship now that they had Amu. All he had to do was convince her to come with them. "Funny, neither do I. See, this crazy mermaid princess decided that we're getting married and is going after some magical rock to make it happen. Being that my interests lie elsewhere, I don't really want her to succeed."

"You're going after Utau?"

Nodding, Ikuto knew that he could trust the mermaid before them. Amu would never betray them to his stepfather or the royal family. She had no reason to. "If I can get this thing first, she can't use it. That's all I'm trying to do."

"Get it, but not use it."

"Right."

Thinking things through, Amu would rather rest for a bit longer on the beach before continuing on that do what she was about to suggest, but the temptation of the speed that Ikuto's boat could give them was too great. "Could you give me a second?"

Frowning, Ikuto straightened up before the mermaid could disappear under the waves. "If you try to swim off, I'll just jump in."

Not really understanding how that could be a threat, Amu nodded. "I'll be right back."

Ikuto couldn't do anything else as she vanished under the surface of the ocean.

"Yaya likes Amu-chi."

"Me too, Yaya. Me too."

Finding Nagihiko and Rima waiting not far from where she was, Amu filled her gills with water before trying to convince them to like a plan that she didn't particularly like herself. "Guys, that's Ikuto. He's got a couple of people on board with him that I don't know, but he's trying to stop Utau from getting the Tear because he doesn't want to marry her."

Rima thought that that was nice and all, but couldn't see how it related to them more than now they had another group of idiots that they had to beat or stop. "So…?"

Sighing, Amu tried to look more confident than she felt. "So if we use their help and their speed, we can catch up a lot faster. I still need to rest, I can feel how tired I am, and they are giving me the chance to do that without falling further behind. We'll ride on their boat and jump in the water when needed. We'll cover so much distance in a faster time without wearing ourselves out. We can trust Ikuto."

"Why?" Nagihiko wasn't certain where the hostility he felt towards the humans above him was coming from, but it was there all the same. "Why should we trust them?"

If there was an answer to his question, Amu didn't have it. "If you can trust me then there shouldn't be a problem trusting him."

Amu didn't give them a chance to respond to her statement as she returned to the surface like she promised.

"Miss me?"

"I told you that I'd be back. Why don't you come ashore and we'll work out a deal?"

Back to leaning on the railing with a smirk on his face, Ikuto couldn't help but feel as though some things were meant to be. He and Amu were one of them. "What sort of deal? Did you want the Tear so you could become human? I'd gladly take you, Amu-koi."

"Actually," Rima rose from the water beside her friend. "We're after the two royal brats that took our friend with them to find it. The Tear isn't what's important."

The confusion of introducing everyone should have followed next if Yaya hadn't realized that Rima could only be talking about Kairi. "Kairi-koi is in trouble! Yaya has to help! Yaya cannot stop!"

.

Morg: And they're meeting up.

Ikuto: About time.

Amu: This was so cheesy.

Morg: In a good way.

Ikuto: I agree.

Amu: No, not at all. Delete it all.

Morg: I'll just let my readers decide that.


	12. Chapter 12

Morg: Heyo! I am really enjoying writing this mermaid fic.

Ikuto: I could be enjoying it more.

Amu: I don't know how you function. I mean, how do people even stand being around you?

Morg: Isn't that a bit harsh?

Ikuto: Naw, she just wants to keep me for herself.

Amu: Be glad that Morg doesn't own us or I'd get her to do something you don't want.

Morg: Kinky.

Ikuto: I don't know if that's possible.

Amu: I'm surrounded by perverts.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

After stopping Yaya from diving off the side of the boat and promising the girl that they would definitely save her Kairi-koi, Ikuto took a second to just look at the two mermaids and the merman sitting in the water looking back up at him. They were going to travel together, which meant that the three half fish people had to somehow get on his yacht so they could go. He might have gotten Yaya to calm down for the time being but the chick was seriously mental. There was no telling when she and her little dog would try to jump again.

Knowing that his first mate wouldn't be much help, Ikuto looked to the water to see the three faces looking back at him showing amusement. Stupid half fish people judging him and his friends. "How about we convene on shore and figure out a plan. From there we'll hit the waves."

Amu gave a small smile before heading for the beach where she'd been napping earlier. Her fatigue was still there despite her current rush of adrenaline powering her at the moment. "We'll wait for you there."

"Kukai, get out the dingy!"

The brown haired boy rushed to do as Ikuto instructed while Yaya collapsed onto the deck of the ship in a fit of giggles. Ikuto just decided it was better if he didn't know what she was laughing about.

Finished with his task, Kukai sent Dachi ahead to the island to wait for him there. The bird needed a reason to stretch his wings. "Come on, Ikuto, Yaya and Pepe. Let's get this boat on the water and go talk with some fishies."

Maybe the three merpeople had the right to judge him. Ikuto had weird traveling companions. "I would ask you two to be normal but I'm almost afraid to know what that would be like."

Scratching the back of his head, Kukai simply shrugged at his friend. Ikuto was a tough one to understand at times. "You ready?"

Climbing aboard the smaller boat, Ikuto nodded before he suddenly found himself with a lap full of Pomeranian. Yaya had decided that the best way to get her beloved Pepe onto the boat was by throwing her to Ikuto without warning the boy first. "Yaya!"

"Coming!"

Rolling his eyes, Ikuto dumped the little dog into the bottom of the boat. The thing definitely needed the chance to run around the island for a bit. Yaya had been right in saying that her dog was well trained, but Ikuto was sure that the dog was ready for some grass and not those pad things that Yaya put out for her. "Let's go."

Starting the small motor on the inflatable boat, Kukai steered them towards the beach where the merpeople were waiting for them. He was looking forward to getting to properly meet the merpeople he was hearing and learning so much about. "Aye, aye Captain!"

Maybe the dog wasn't the only one that needed to get off the boat for a bit. "Just get us there, Kukai."

Ikuto hadn't meant that the other needed to speed them up to the point where the small boat was flying off the top of the water as it hit the waves. They weren't even that far from the island to begin with and yet Ikuto found himself wishing he'd just tried to swim instead. Once they were finally on the beach-Yaya laughed like a maniac the entire way-Ikuto let himself catch his breath so he wouldn't look like an idiot in front of Amu. "So, who's got an idea for how to get you three on the boat?"

The other five just stared back at Ikuto, which meant that no one had thought about it yet. "Okay then, let's think about this. You have no feet so you can't climb the ladder, unless you all have amazing upper body strength. If that's the case then you can pull yourselves up with your arms alone."

When no one said anything, Ikuto simply cleared his throat and continued. "Let's just assume that you can't do that. I have a tank in the bottom of the yacht that can hold about fifty gallons and recycles the water as we move, but I don't think any of you would fit in there."

Deciding that she'd give Ikuto a bit of a break, Amu smiled at the boat captain. "I think the tank would be perfect for our companion fish. We can't leave them behind. As for getting on the boat, well, you said that we can't climb the ladder, but you can. What if I just wrap my arms around your shoulders and you carry both of us up?"

The thought of having Amu pressed against him in any way had Ikuto agreeing without thinking about whether or not he'd be able to hold both their weight. "Okay, so we'll get the three of you on that way. How do we keep you wet?"

Raising his hand, Kukai decided to share his idea. "We have those hoses from when I clean the boat, Ikuto. We could hook those up to the sink and spray them whenever they need it."

Switching her gaze from one human to the next, Rima could hardly believe that Amu, levelheaded Amu, trusted these people. They seemed a bit dim or slow witted. Thank the heavens that her Nagi was smart. "So we're getting a ride. What else needs to happen before we can go?"

Rubbing the back of his head, Kukai sent his best grin towards the blonde with a tail. "We just need to check around and see if the island has anything we can use for supplies."

Intrigued, Amu cocked her head as she looked over to Ikuto. "What do you guys need?"

"We have a filter system that can take ocean water and make it drinkable but it doesn't work as fast as we need it to. It takes out a lot of power from the engine to make the machine run. We'd be able to go faster if we could find a stream or something to get water that we'd just have to filter."

"I can filter it for you."

"I don't think you should be using your powers so quickly, Amu."

"Rima, I'm not doing anything major. I'm just pulling the salt from the water. I could do that in my sleep. Besides, I'm feeling better already."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Ikuto looked over at the blonde that looked entirely too concerned about Amu for something to have not have happened to the pinkette. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

Rima refused to not tell the humans they were about to get involved with about what made Amu so tired. Maybe they'd respect the ocean a little more if they could understand. "Amu fought off a sea monster when it tried to attack the ship that Nagi was guarding. She fought it back so that the captain of the guards would let Nagi come with us. Amu used too much power. She was resting here on the beach when you guys came."

"She's making it sound worse than it was."

Deciding that he needed to be on his wife's side, Nagihiko shook his head. "She's telling it right, Amu. You fought off a monster and needed to rest. That's the reason you're so eager to get a ride from Ikuto and his friends. You don't want us to get held back because of you. Are you sure we can trust them? They are humans."

Rolling her eyes, Amu turned to give Ikuto a small smile. "Of course I trust Ikuto. He's been nothing but my friend. Besides, our goals are similar. We both want the same thing. To get the Tear so Utau can't use it."

Ikuto couldn't help but return the grin directed at him. "If you want to use my boat to rest then it is fully open for your use. Kukai, let's get searching this island so we can be on our way."

Jumping to his feet, Kukai let out a scratchy sounding caw to call Dachi to him so they could go explore a bit of the small island. There wasn't much land to cover, but Kukai was ready to stretch his legs. "You little fishes wait here. We won't be long."

Amu couldn't help but laugh as Rima muttered that they had nowhere else to go.

"Yaya would like to know if Amu-chi is going to rescue Kairi-koi."

Turning to the girl that had managed to remain quiet despite the ruckus she'd made on the boat earlier, Amu gave another small smile as her weariness crept up on her again. "Of course, Yaya. Kairi-san is our friend as well. We wouldn't let anything happen to him. I'll fight a hundred monsters to keep him safe."

Grinning at the mermaid she'd heard so much about, Yaya couldn't help but hug the half human half fish girl before her. "Yaya wants to say thanks to Amu-chi!"

Laughing, Amu allowed herself to be hugged before she pulled away. "We'll definitely get him back."

The trip around the island didn't take too long for the two males and the bird. They didn't find much, though Kukai managed to snag some coconuts. The merpeople were a little skeptic of the fruit despite the brown haired boy assuring them that it was delicious. Soon enough, Ikuto and Kukai had the three merpeople on the deck of the ship-carrying Amu up had been just as pleasant as he'd been hoping-and they were ready to sail.

Standing at the wheel, Ikuto looked down at the pink haired mermaid sunny her tail on his boat. "Which way do we go?"  
>Looking over the railing and off into the distance, Amu raised her hand to point in a direction other from the way she was looking. "We go that way."<p>

"How do you know?"

Ikuto threw Kukai a looking for doubting Amu, but the other boy wasn't looking back at him.

"I know it is that way because I can feel the Tear. I can always feel it."

Ikuto decided that the time to ask Amu about the Tear would have to wait for when the girl didn't look like she was going to fall asleep if she spoke too many more words. "Get some sleep, Amu. We'll head that way. The course is set. We'll get you there before the princess and prince."

Drawing her eyes away from the horizon, Amu glanced up to see Ikuto looking down at her. The pinkette couldn't help but be grateful to the human that she saved. Her decision that day had definitely been a good one. "The little ones are safe in your tank. We're ready so let's not delay."

Nodding, Ikuto put the boat into motion, keeping his eye towards where Amu had indicated they should go. He finally had a guide and they were going to stop that mermaid princess from forcing him into a marriage that only his stepfather wanted. They could not fail.

XXX

Tadase couldn't help but feel a bit doubtful as they swam through the pillars of rock. The place looked quite ominous to the young prince. "Are you certain that this is the way, Kairi?"

"That's what the maps indicate."

Flicking her tail so they could keep heading the way their guide told them to, Utau pushed herself forwards. There was no way they wouldn't succeed in their quest. She would get the Tear and then she would get Ikuto. "For your sake, I hope you're maps are right."

Kairi could only wish he was back at the castle, occasionally sneaking out to see that lively human girl. "Me too."

.

Morg: So yeah, things are moving along.

Ikuto: Amu is my prisoner now.

Amu: I'm riding on your boat. I could leave at any time.

Morg: Too bad she's a fish and you're human.

Ikuto: We could make it work.

Amu: I don't want to know what you're thinking.


	13. Chapter 13

Morg: Heyo! Ready for an epic adventure?

Ikuto: Being around you is always an adventure.

Amu: There was so much sarcasm in that statement that I can taste it.

Morg: What?

Ikuto: Want to know what else you can taste?

Amu: Nope!

Morg: I think I know!

Ikuto: I would hope so.

Amu: Neither of you own me! I'm free and I won't be bullied by you!

Morg: Spoil sport.

Ikuto: She tries to resist.

Amu: Dear Lord.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

Kukai honestly had no idea why Pepe didn't like him. Of course, it had nothing to do with him spraying her down when he thought she was getting too hot. The little Pomeranian had so much fur that the male was convinced she'd die of heat stroke if he didn't help her out. Considering he was helping her, spraying her couldn't be the reason for her hate.

Ikuto should have known that his friend was an idiot. All the signs were there.

Riding on a boat was much different than being in the water. Amu couldn't decide if she liked the feeling or not. Sometimes it felt like she was just floating on the waves. Other times it felt as though it was them against the ocean. Considering that she'd lived her whole live in sync with the large body of water, fighting it was just… strange.

A blast of cold water caused Rima to deadpan as her hair covered her face. Slowly, she used her arm to lift the sopping strands while glaring at the boy in charge of keeping her and her mer-companions wet. "Kukai, you might mean well, but I'll kill you anyhow."

Grinning sheepishly, Kukai rubbed at the back of head before setting the hose down. They were wet enough for the next hour. "I'm going to go steer the boat."

Only settling down when Nagi placed his hand on her shoulder, Rima continued to glare at the human's back as he ran away. "Yeah, you go do that."

"Rima, be nice. He means well."

Having now gotten to experience how soft her hair was when it was dry, Rima wanted to keep it that was for as long as possible. With Kukai around, that didn't seem to happen for more than five minutes. "He doesn't have to spray my head. Only our tails need to stay moist."

Moving about on the deck of the boat was definitely taking its toll on his arms. Nagi was used to using his tail to take him from place to place. Now it was just dead weight. He supposed this was good training, even if he didn't quite want it. "We don't have to do this for much longer. We'll just catch up to the others and stop them. Then we'll be back in the sea where we belong. You won't ever have to see that human again."

Rima couldn't wait for the moment that that happened. "Promise?"

Pulling his wife into his arms, Nagihiko smiled. There was a reason he loved this girl. "Of course."

Amu couldn't help but smile at the sight. Even Yaya was silent while watching the two lovers hold each other, which the pinkette mermaid decided was quite the feat. Yaya didn't seem to have an off switch to all that energy. The moment was perfect until Ikuto appeared in her face.

"Are we still going the right way?"

Either the captain was really worried that they were going to get lost and his future would be with Utau, or he was fishing for ways to speak to Amu. The pinkette figured it was the first option. "Yes, I'll tell you if we end up off course."

Slipping his hands into his pockets, Ikuto glanced from where he was looking out at the sea to Amu before looking back at the water. "So do you like riding on my boat?"

Lifting an eyebrow, Amu turned to face the human full on. She had a feeling he wouldn't be leaving for a while, anyhow. Then again, it was his boat and he could do what he wanted. "It's different, but it isn't bad."

"I wish I knew what it was like to travel as freely as you do beneath the waves."

Amu had to laugh at that. Ikuto sounded as if he truly wanted to try being a merman, which was what he was trying to avoid. "You might find out if Utau gets the Tear."

Frowning, Ikuto nudged the mermaid's shoulder with his elbow. "That's not how I want to experience it. Though I might see more of the ocean that way."

Smiling because she enjoyed his company even if he was a bit odd, Amu nudged the other back. "And why is that?"

"Because I'll be spending all my time swimming away from that crazy princess."

Giggling because the other had a point, Amu promised herself that Ikuto wouldn't have to escape Utau for that reason. Just as she was about to tell the other that, the little thing they called a dog came sliding across the deck and into Amu's arms. The puppy licked her face before barking happily. Amu couldn't help but laugh with it. The human world was so interesting. She wouldn't mind getting to see more of it.

XXX

"I don't like this."

Rolling her eyes, Utau made certain that their small group continued on with their quest. "You said that before, Tadase."

The young prince felt that his unease was well deserved. They were currently swimming through giant underwater pillars. The way the rock had formed after a volcanic explosion left the ocean floor marred and difficult to traverse. It didn't help that they couldn't see very far in the murky water.

Despite not liking the area they were going through, Tadase kept going. Mostly because Utau was forcing him and partly because Kairi said that they had to go that way. If he wanted to get to the Tear and use it to get Amu then he had to be brave and swim through water that was spooky.

Something moved out of the corner of his eyes. Tadase sped up to be closer to his sister. "I really don't like this."

If she could kill him and call it an accident, then Utau would have done it long ago. Her brother was really annoying. Unfortunately, she couldn't make her father that angry. Not if she wanted to take over the kingdom someday. "I really don't like you."

Listening to the siblings bicker was something that Kairi was used to doing. At first, he did his best to stay out of whatever they were fighting about. Now, however, he just ignored them completely. The two were childish and ridiculous. Kairi really didn't want to see the kingdom ruled by either of them. Their petty fights and snobbish attitudes didn't bode well for the rest of the kingdom. They were doomed.

What Kairi really wished, at the moment, was that he could escape like he usually did to go and speak to a wildly beautiful human. The girl was so lively with what she talked about. Everything was innocent, which was the opposite of what he saw throughout the day at the palace. He missed Yaya.  
>"Did you see that?"<p>

"Quit being creepy just because you don't want to be here. The faster you swim the faster we're past this."

Ignoring his sister almost completely because the older girl always thought she knew best, Tadase kept trying to see through the dense water. Something wasn't right. Sure, the water and the effects of the pillars made him see things, but Tadase was certain that he really had seen something moving in the dim light.

Tugging on Utau's arm, Tadase pointed off towards the left. "There! Did you see it?"

Shaking her brother off, Utau turned to give the male a piece of her mind. Instead of being greeted with just her brother's worried face, Utau found herself looking up at a creature that she didn't want to see. Panic set in. "Swim!"

Kairi was pulled from his thoughts of small fluffy dogs and cute human girls when the two royals shoved each other as they went by. Where they thought they were going, he had no idea. The librarian was the one with the map. If they strayed off their course, they'd end up lost and there was no telling if they'd be able to find it again. "Where-"

A pillar to his right collapsed. Kairi turned to see what had caused the damage. A giant sea monster stared right back at him. One of its long tentacles shot out to hit him this time. Being quick, Kairi dodged the attack before swimming after the prince and princess. Of course they'd just leave him behind. The two were quite selfish like that. Kairi was only a servant, after all.

Dodging attacks and weaving in and out between the pillars, Kairi looked for the other two. As much as he wanted to return the favor and leave them behind, he couldn't. Mostly because he was too kind to do that, but also because he'd be blamed for their deaths. "Tadase! Utau!"

The prince and princess were too busy getting away to pay attention to where they were going. They swam as fast as their tails carried them through the gloom. The only thing the two could think about was getting away. Their quest didn't matter. Kairi didn't matter. Not as long as they kept their lives.

"Swim faster, idiot!"

"Don't call me an idiot, you little brat! Just keep going!"

Whether it was because they were the ones running or if it was because somehow the creature knew that they were royals that panicked in dangerous situations and made dumb choices, the creature chased Utau and Tadase rather than Kairi. The librarian couldn't complain. He didn't want the creature chasing him. Not with those long tentacles swatting at the pillars and causing so much damage.

Still, even if he was dragged along, Kairi couldn't just abandon the two to their fates. Studying the situation, he found that the bulk of the monster couldn't move through the pillars like its long limbs could. Moving into open water like the two royals were trying to do would only give the monster more room to gain on them. Staying in the dark water with the pillars didn't sound ideal, but it was the best option. "Come back this way! Tadase! Utau! Don't go that way!"

Barely dodging another swipe of a large tentacle, Utau swore as she went tumbling through the water and hit a pillar. Her words stopped as she sunk to the ocean floor.

Tadase screamed as he dove to grab at his sister. A long snake-like appendage of the sea monster slithered towards the fallen princess. Tadase slapped it away when it tried to wrap around Utau's tail. "You can't have her!"

There were a lot of things that Kairi didn't like about the siblings. However, he could admit that they were kind people at heart. It was the reason he served their family. Because he couldn't abandon them, he searched through the water for something to use to help. A jagged rock laid not too far away from where it had broken off from a pillar after being struck.

Hefting the rock, Kairi used all his strength to stab the pointed end into the tentacle that Tadase was struggling with. The prince was slowly becoming entangled. It wouldn't be long until the monster pulled him away.

A loud cry echoed through the dark water as inky blood poured from the gash that Kairi created. Lifting his weapon once more, Kairi forced the rock back into the cut he'd already made. The tentacle retreated.

Swimming down to where Tadase was attempting to rouse his sister, Kairi took the girl's hand. "She's just unconscious. Look, she's breathing fine. Let's get her to somewhere safer. I have a feeling that creature won't give up so easily."

"How do we get out of here?"

"It can't move through the pillars. We have to stay in them and move away from the body. Once we're out of its reach, we'll be safe. Come on."

Together the two lifted the princess and moved quickly, working together without complaint.

.

Morg: It's never easy to go on epic quests.

Ikuto: They'd be boring if it was easy.

Amu: How many sea creatures are going to attack?

Morg: As many as needed!

Ikuto: Whatever.


	14. Chapter 14

Morg: Heyo!

Ikuto: Is that all you're going to say?

Amu: Don't you have an excuse or something to give?

Morg: No, why would I?

Ikuto: You've usually got one ready.

Amu: And you just spew them out even though we don't care.

Morg: I don't own you. You don't have to care.

Ikuto: Yeah, yeah.

Amu: As long as you know that.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

Tadase didn't want to admit that he was worried. He was the prince. Everything always went his way. No way was he actually worried, and definitely not because Utau hadn't woken up yet. Kairi kept telling him that she was fine, but Tadase was beginning to doubt the other male. What could a librarian know about health stuff? Utau needed a doctor. "We should take a break."

Sighing, Kairi moved with the prince on the other side of the unconscious princess that they carried between them so that they could lower her onto the sandy bottom of the ocean. He would have liked to keep going, but arguing with the prince wouldn't get him anywhere. "How long do you wish to stop?"

Pushing his short, blond hair from his face, Tadase looked away from his two traveling companions. "However long I say."

That was that. Kairi really didn't like spending so much time with people that talked to him in that way. What a jerk. "As you wish."

Making certain that Utau was resting safely, Tadase moved a bit away from his sister before taking several deep, calming breaths. Fucking sea monster. If he had his guards with him then they would have killed the thing before it could have ever hurt Utau. He would not forgive it. If she died… No, she would live. But if she didn't, he would hunt it down and have his revenge.

Kairi watched for a moment as Tadase moved a short distance away from where they were taking a break. The young prince looked to be as though he was having a fight with himself. There was nothing the librarian could do for the other. His advice was being ignored. Kairi felt a bit slighted by the prince, though he couldn't completely blame him for it. Kairi had only read books about medicine. He didn't actually practice it.

Moving back to his sister's side, Tadase took her hand to just hold it for a moment. They spent a lot of time bickering, but he actually loved her. Though Utau didn't always act like it, Tadase knew that she loved him in return. They were brother and sister, after all. They were supposed to fight. "This is my fault."

Kairi looked up to see if the other boy was talking to him. The prince kept his eyes on his sister.

"If I hadn't wanted to come then we wouldn't have."

"That's not true."

"What do you know?"

Sighing, Kairi didn't bother to move closer to the other. It wouldn't have helped. His proximity would have only made Tadase all the more angry. "Because Utau wants it, too."

Tadase glanced back down at his sister's face. Her eyes were closed while her mouth was slightly parted. The girl could have just been resting, though he knew the truth. There was the chance that she wouldn't wake up. "But I pushed for it."

Knowing that arguing really wouldn't do any good, Kairi opted to remain silent. Tadase had to fight his own battles with his mind. There would be no convincing the boy of anything else.

XXX

Rima didn't like the look of the clouds. Storms had never really bothered her before. Beneath the tumult of the wind and rain, the ocean kept them safe. While growing up, other kids had been curious and had gone to the surface to see what damage a storm could make. Not Rima. She hadn't planned on ever finding out. "Don't those clouds look a little dark to you?"

Picking up his head from where he'd been resting it on Rima's stomach, Nagi looked out over the water towards a few dark grey clouds. "I think they're fine."

Shaking her head, Rima motioned back towards the sky. "The wind has gotten stronger, too."

Sitting up all the way, Nagihiko turned so that he was facing into the wind. His lover was right, it had gotten stronger. It also had a bit of a coldness to it. Still, he didn't think it was cause for concern. "We'll be just fine, Rima. Even if the boat sinks, we'll be able to just swim."

She supposed that Nagi was just trying to be funny, though Rima didn't really see it that way. The boat sinking wasn't going to be a good thing because that meant that they'd have to be the ones carrying Ikuto, Yaya and Kukai. Not to mention the dog and the bird. No thanks. "Do you think Ikuto knows that it's there?"

"Know what is where?"

Turning her head slightly, Rima caught sight of the boat captain as he came out onto the deck. Amu pulled herself behind him. "The clouds over there. Do you think it is a storm?"

Moving to the railing, Ikuto looked out in the direction that Rima gestured. He'd been on the ocean enough times to know that no clouds should be taken lightly. "Yes, that's a storm."

Amu followed the direction of Ikuto's gaze to look at the sky, as well. The prospect of a storm excited her. Being one that could control the elements, Amu loved riding out storms on the surface of the waves. To feel everything so completely out of control was wonderful. "Are we going into it?"

Staring at the clouds, Ikuto gave a slight shrug. "Is that the way we have to go?"

The tug of the Tear told Amu that they did indeed have to travel that way. "Yes."

"Then we're going into it."

"You people are crazy. I don't want to go that way."

Nagihiko was quick to wrap his arm around Rima as the other two turned to look at her. "Rima isn't fond of storms."

Giggling a bit, Amu moved so that she could put her hand against Rima's arm. "We've got nothing to worry about. The storm can't hurt us."

Shaking off her friend's hand, Rima glared at the pinkette. "That's not the point!"

Ikuto wasn't entirely certain why the mermaid was having problems with just a measly storm, but he decided against trying to make her feel better with words. "Well, you can go back in the water if you want. There is the chance that we'll get separated though."

Being separated from the others wasn't what she wanted. "Then I can't really go into the water, can I?"

Nagihiko squeezed his hold around the girl in his arms. She definitely was worried about the weather. He knew her well enough to know that she truly was. "It'll be fine."

"You can say that all you want, but I prefer to be beneath the waves where it is completely safe."

Sighing, Amu laid her head on Rima's shoulder. "You can go down into the ship further if you want. That way you don't have to be out here to see the storm. We could let you into the hold with our fish. No one else would be able to fit in there with you, though."

Pouting a bit, Rima turned so that she was looking at her husband. "I don't want to go anywhere without Nagi."

Kissing those pouted lips to make his wife stop before he couldn't hold himself back, Nagi let out a quiet chuckle. "Then we'll go inside the boat and wait for the storm to end in there."

Moving away from the other two, Amu went back to the railing to sit beside Ikuto. The clouds told her that they didn't have much time before the storm hit. "Then the two of you should head below. That storm is building."

Pulling away from his wife, Nagihiko sent Amu a smile before heading towards the door that the other mermaid had just come out of. "Then we'll head down."

Rima was right on his tail.

Turning back to look at Ikuto, Amu lifted an eyebrow when she found the man smirking at her. "What?"

"That storm won't hit for a while yet."

Returning the smirk, Amu gave a slight shrug. "Might take Rima a while to get down there. Especially since Pepe trapped Kukai in that room."

Chuckling, Ikuto had to agree to that. That dog did not like his first mate. Sort of served the idiot right. "She's going to be pissed."

"The dog or Rima?"

Not losing the grin on her face, Amu turned back to the railing. She could just make out the lightning beginning to flash in the clouds. The storm was going to be a big one. "Both."

Ikuto wasn't going to argue with that.

XXX

Kairi knew that they needed to keep going, however, Tadase didn't want to. The librarian couldn't push the other male since he wasn't of royal blood and Tadase made the orders. The prince wanted to wait for Utau to wake, but Kairi knew that it wasn't safe for them to just sit in the middle of the ocean. He might have worked inside the palace where it was safe, but he knew the dangers that lurked in the waters. "We need to keep moving."

"You need to shut up. We aren't going anywhere until Utau wakes up."

Glancing around them, Kairi noted how the waters were growing darker. Night was coming. They didn't have anywhere to go for shelter. "At least let us move somewhere safer."

"There is nothing wrong with where we are."

Kairi couldn't argue any further. To do so would only make Tadase angry without really needing to. While he was important to their journey, he wouldn't be once they had the Tear. There was nothing he was going to do now that he didn't want to pay for later. Instead, he moved to sit on the opposite side of the rock that Utau rested against. This was a rather bad idea.

Not long after he'd tried to reason with the prince, Kairi saw something move in the gloom of the water. It wasn't the same kind of movement that the tentacles of the giant sea monster had, but it wasn't a regular fish either.

It wasn't until the movement got closer that Kairi realized that it was creatures moving towards them. Creatures that everyone had thought to be extinct. Creatures that were shoving spears into their faces and yelling in a different language. Kairi knew that there was nothing they could do but allow their hands to be tied and swim after their captives.

Sending a glance over his shoulder, Kairi tried to make out how Tadase was doing. So far the prince had been yelling a lot. Something about being royal and how he shouldn't be treated that way. A spear to his throat had shut him up. That was, until the creatures began prodding Utau. In the end, they were all being taken. Kairi just wished that he knew where. Getting lost in the ocean wasn't what he wanted to be doing.

Tadase hung his head as he followed behind the creatures carrying his sister. The monsters were like them in a way. They looked as though they could be merpeople, with being half human and half fish. Unfortunately, they were more fish than human. Tadase didn't like their odds. "This isn't how a prince should be treated."

His mumblings when unnoticed as they moved through the dark water.

.

Morg: I love how exciting this story is.

Ikuto: You could make it even more exciting!

Amu: Gross.

Morg: Maybe I will.

Ikuto: Do it.

Amu: Really, don't.

Morg: Everyone will just have to keep reading to find out!


	15. Chapter 15

Morg: Heyo! This story is definitely one of my favorites.

Ikuto: They are all your favorites.

Amu: True that.

Morg: Yeah, but this one!

Ikuto: That doesn't make much sense.

Amu: The only thing that does make sense is that Morg doesn't own us.

Morg: Someday. Someday I will come for you.

Ikuto: That's a bit creepy.

Amu: No thanks.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

From his spot at the wheel, Ikuto was given the perfect view of his deck. The storm had definitely hit hard, but they were prepared for it. Rima, Nagi, Yaya and Kukai were all below deck to wait it out. Ikuto had to sit at the controls so that he'd be able to make certain that the ship didn't get blown too far off course. Though, at the moment, he was more distracted by the mermaid at the furthermost point of his ship.

Leaning against the railing, Amu tilted her head back so that she could feel the wind and rain against her face. The elements were only getting rougher. The mermaid absolutely loved it. The same fierce energy that streaked through the sky felt as though it was racing through her veins. Storms were a time when she could let go of some of the restraints that she had on herself and no one would notice.

Watching Amu feel so at peace did funny things to Ikuto. His chest felt so full that it was almost uncomfortable. The mermaid looked so happy to be out in the wind and the rain. The flashes of lightning in the sky did little to dampen her mood. Amu was truly beautiful. Ikuto knew that he'd never find another being like her anywhere. Once they found the Tear, he wasn't certain if he could ask her what he wanted, but Ikuto knew that no matter what, he was going to be by her side for as long as she'd let him.

Tossing her head back, Amu looked up towards the windows that she knew protected Ikuto from the storm they were currently going through. The waves grew larger. The water washed across the top of the deck. Luckily, they'd taken everything below before the storm had hit. They'd been ready so that they wouldn't lose anything of importance.

In that instant, Amu wished that Ikuto could share this with her. That the human could be out in the storm without having to worry about falling overboard and drowning, but to do that, Ikuto would have to sacrifice so much. It was something that Amu could secretly yearn for but never actually ask for. It was secret for her heart.

XXX

Tightening her grip on Nagihiko, Rima clenched her eyes shut. The way that the ship was rolling told her that they were already in the storm. The blonde didn't like it one bit. As much as she hated it, though, she did enjoy the way that Nagi was holding her. Her husband continuously whispered sweet words into her ears, which calmed Rima down more than she'd ever let anyone know.

Smiling because he knew that the other couldn't see it, Nagihiko flicked the tip of his tail so that it would rub against his mate's. They were both getting a bit dry, but Nagi couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. He was enjoying holding his wife close to him. She was just so adorable.

Kukai, on the other hand, was feeling a bit sick. Though the first mate didn't know if it was because of all the public displays of affection coming from the fish or the way the boat was swaying on top of the ocean. Either one, he kept his mouth shut so that more than words wouldn't come out.

On the other hand, Yaya was having the time of her life as she slid around on the ground with Pepe in her hands. The storm was more fun than she'd thought. She could definitely have fun until it was over. "Kukai-san has to try this! Yaya is having so much fun!"

Groaning, Kukai decided his best option was just to ignore the girl moving from one side of the room to the other. There may not have been much room, but Yaya was taking advantage of what she did have.

Laughing at the seasick human, Rima snuggled closer to Nagi's chest. Maybe storms weren't so bad after all.

XXX

Leaning back against the rock that he'd be forced to be beside, Kairi looked up. From what he could see, there was a storm passing over the surface of the ocean. The currents beneath the water were affected just enough that he could feel something was off.

However, whatever was happening up there wasn't any of his business, as he was currently being held prisoner. Tadase and Utau were beside him, though Kairi figured that couldn't be considered as a good thing since they were all being held captive. Still, they were together.

A groan broke the silence in the water. Moving the best that he could, Tadase tried to get closer to his sister. With his hands tied to his tail, swimming was rather difficult. That and the guards only poked him with the dull end of their spears when he began shuffling closer to his awaking sister. "Utau? Are you okay?"

Groaning again, Utau felt as though her head was split into two parts. Unfortunately, she found that she couldn't lift her hands to check to make certain that it was still in one piece. They were tied to her tail, which made moving practically impossible. "What happened?"

Tadase managed to get close enough so that his side could touch Utau's tail. "You got hurt when we escaped that monster. You've been unconscious for almost two days. Kairi and I carried you for a long ways, but we got captured."

"Captured?" Blinking slowly, Utau tried to get her eyes to focus. Everything was so blurry, though the princess wasn't surprised since she had had a rather hard hit to her head. "Captured by whom? Did you tell them who we are?"

Sighing out a bit of relief, Tadase just rested his head against the rock behind him. "They don't speak our language, Utau. We can't tell them anything."

Having kept quiet until now, Kairi decided that his input was valuable. "Making them understand who you are would be dangerous. They aren't a race that has any respect or love for ours. In fact, it could put your lives into greater danger than they are in now."

If Kairi was giving them that sort of advice then Utau knew that whatever was happening couldn't have been good. With her vision finally focusing, she found herself staring straight into the angry face of a sprite. They were similar to merpeople, but still more fish-like than human. "They're extinct!"

Sighing, Kairi couldn't help but shake his head at the princess' logic. Just because she said that they were extinct didn't mean that they actually were. "Apparently not."

From the stories that were passed down about these creatures, Utau knew that getting out of the situation that they were in was going to be difficult. Especially since they couldn't communicate with them. "What are we going to do?"

Half of him had been hoping that his sister would have a brilliant plan after she woke up, the rest of Tadase knew he was being foolish. They were in a lot of trouble. "I… I don't know."

Hearing the sound of sniffles, Utau turned to look at her younger brother. Now that she was actually paying attention, she could see how worried he'd been; about her and now all of them. "Don't cry, Tadase. We'll get out of this somehow."

There was one person that could help them, but Kairi knew the chances of Amu showing up were rather slim. The mermaid was one of the remaining few that could speak the sprite's language. However, there was no way for her to know that they were in some sort of danger.

A flash of something moving caught Kairi's attention. The red stuck out against the rocks. Musashi had followed after them despite Kairi telling his companion to remain in the castle. At the moment, however, he couldn't find it in himself to be angry. "Musashi, go find Amu! We need her! Go and bring her here!"

The small fish took off through the water before any of the sprites could notice that it had ever been there.

Hearing the librarian, Utau did her best to move so that she could see the other male. "Why do we need Amu? What good is that witch going to do?"

Scoffing, Kairi decided that as prisoners, they were equals. No longer would he hold his tongue just because Utau and Tadase were royalty. "Because, you idiot, she can speak their language. Amu is brilliant. She'll be able to get us out of this situation. We just have to live long enough for her to save us."

Tadase and Utau could only silently hope that they would make it until the pink haired mermaid showed up. If she came at all.

XXX

A bit disappointed that the storm was over, Amu flicked pieces of seaweed off the deck. Rima and Nagi were on their way up from down below so that the three of them could go for a swim and make certain that there was no damage done to the ship. The storm had tossed them around quite a bit, though Amu had loved every moment of it rather than being frightened by it.

"Getting in the water is going to feel so good. I feel really dry right now."

Nagihiko gave Amu a sheepish smile over Rima's shoulder. The blonde had definitely settled down after the storm had started, though Nagi was never going to say anything about it. There was no way that he was going to purposely inflict Rima's anger on himself. "Hey, Amu. How was the ride from up here?"

Shrugging, Amu motioned towards the sodden deck. "Wet and fun. How was down below?"

Rima answered for the other half fish person. "Dry and boring. Let's get in the water!"

There was nothing else to say as Amu slipped over the rail and dove into the waves. Being on Ikuto's boat was convenient and actually kind of fun, but nothing would ever beat being in the water. That opinion was completely biased, but Amu wasn't going to ever think differently.

The sounds of Rima and Nagihiko following her into the water made Amu grin up at them. "I missed the ocean."

Nodding, the two gave a few flicks of their tails to move about the water before moving back towards the ship. Rima caught Amu's hand as they neared her. "We should let out our companions so that they can play for a while."

Amu agreed completely. She rose to the surface to relay the messaged to Kukai. The first mate saluted once before heading to press the button to open the tanks. Their fish exited the ship instantly to swim and play in the water.

Happy to see them, Amu twirled around with her girls before actually looking at the ship like they told Ikuto that they would. Everything looked fine, so Amu figured it wouldn't hurt to play a bit more before they continued on with their journey. The storm hadn't pushed them too far off course. They didn't really lose any time.

Suddenly, Amu was hit from behind. At first, the mermaid thought it was just Miki and Ran playing around, but the nudges continued happening. Turning, Amu found herself facing Musashi. The small red beta was Kairi's companion. "Musashi? What is it? Why are you here? Where is Kairi?"

Though the fish couldn't actually speak to her, Amu knew that something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong if the fish was here and nudging at her before swimming off a bit and coming right back.

Rima and Nagi moved closer with their own fish close behind them. "What's happening?"

Nagihiko's question made something click inside Amu's brain. Musashi was here because something was wrong. Kairi had sent the little fish to her. The male needed her held. "Tell Ikuto and the others that I'll find them. I have to go."

Reaching out to stop the other, Rima frowned as Nagihiko held her back from grabbing Amu. "But where are you going?"

Amu didn't turn around as her companions followed right after her. "I don't know, but I do know that Kairi is in some sort of danger. Just keep heading north. I'll catch up!"

Turning to look at her husband, Rima let out a sigh as Amu disappeared into the depths of the ocean. "Ikuto isn't going to like that she just suddenly left."

Nagihiko couldn't really argue with that. "No, but he'll understand. Amu said she'd come back. I'm certain that she will."

Still, Rima didn't want to be the one to tell the captain of the boat that Amu was gone. A mermaid she may be, but stupid she was not. Rima knew how attached the human was to the pinkette. He was foolish for it, of course, but that didn't make him any less fond of Amu.

.

Morg: Go, Amu, go!

Ikuto: Naughty Amu, just leaving me like that.

Amu: I got stuff to do.

Morg: Yeah! And she said she'd come back.

Ikuto: Whatever. I still don't like it.

Amu: Then it's a good thing that this is just a story.

Morg: Amen!


	16. Chapter 16

Morg: Heyo! I'm working hard to bring everyone faster updates!

Ikuto: Not fast enough, though.

Amu: You really don't need to update at all.

Morg: It's always the same with the two of you. No respect for my work.

Ikuto: Are we supposed to respect you?

Amu: I mean, we don't have to.

Morg: Yeah, yeah, because I don't own you. Blah, blah, blah.

Ikuto: At least you're aware of it.

Amu: There is that.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

Nagihiko hadn't doubted Rima's apprehension for a moment. There was no doubt in the merman's mind that Ikuto wasn't going to be happy when they told the male that Amu was gone. However, Nagi knew that they couldn't not tell him.

With a rather heavy sigh, Nagi flicked his tail to push him to the top of the water. Ikuto was right there, leaning against the railing while listening to Yaya go on about something. As much as he wanted to use the excuse that Ikuto was already talking to not say anything about Amu's departure, Nagi knew he had to get the words out of his mouth before he lost his courage. "So Amu left."

The conversation happening on the deck of the ship completely stopped. Neither human moved for a few seconds before Ikuto turned to look down at the purple haired merman. "Excuse me?"

Swallowing, Nagi shrugged as he stayed where he was. "Yeah, well, uh, Musashi showed up and Amu went with the little fish because Kairi might be in trouble. She said she'd catch up and that we just need to keep sailing north. She'll definitely find us. I mean, Amu does have powers unlike any other merperson."

Narrowing his eyes at the other male, Ikuto opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by the girl next to him.

Gripping the railing of the boat rather tightly, Yaya stared down at Nagihiko with worry clearly evident on her face. "Yaya wants to know what you just said about Kairi koi!"

Blinking several times, Nagi switched his gave to Ikuto. The human only shrugged at him so Nagi figured he didn't know much about Yaya's relationship to the merman either. "Uh, Musashi showed up so we don't know if Kairi is in trouble or not, but it is more than likely that he is since his companion is here and he is not. That and Musashi was pretty adamant about Amu following him."

Yaya took in the information for a few seconds before she spun to face the captain beside her. "Amu chan said to head north and she'd meet us there! Yaya says we head north! Amu chan might need us and that's where she'll go! Yaya says we go!"

Besides the fact that everything the girl said was screamed at him, Ikuto couldn't really find a fault in Yaya's words. Amu was already gone. He couldn't stop her now, not that he would have anyways. Ikuto may not have been happy that the mermaid was no longer with him, but he knew that Amu wouldn't ever forgive herself if she knew someone needed her and she didn't do anything to help them.

With a rather heavy sigh, Ikuto nodded to Yaya before turning back to the half fish man in the water. "Whenever you and Rima are done and ready to come back aboard, Kukai and I will help you. Then we'll head north."

Agreeing with a smile and a slight nod, Nagi turned to dive back into the water. "Rima and I will get the companion fish back into the tank. Amu's companions went with her. They would have hated being left behind anyways. Then we'll be ready to go."

There wasn't anything left to be done besides fill Kukai in on what was happening. The first mate was actually serious for a moment when he settled a hand on Ikuto's shoulder after the captain shared the current situation. Ikuto was rather quick to shake the hand away. "Don't take advantage of the situation. Get the ship ready."

Still not smiling, Kukai stepped to put himself in front of the other. They may not have really talked about what Ikuto felt for the mermaid, but Kukai thought it was rather obvious. "Do you trust her?"

Meeting Kukai's gaze, Ikuto furrowed his brow. "What do you mean by that?"

"If you didn't trust Amu then you'd never have let her get back off this ship. You would have locked her up in a bathtub or something. If you trust her, then she's definitely coming back. I mean, I know how hard it is for you to trust people. And if you trust her then she's definitely coming back."

Out of all the people he was surrounded with-if he could call them all people-Ikuto really hadn't expected something so consoling to come from Kukai, but the other male was right. Ikuto did trust Amu. He knew that if she said she'd head north to meet them then they should go that way to meet with her. There was nothing that would stop her from finding them again. Ikuto just had to wait for her. "You're right. She'll meet with us again. I do trust her."

Nodding, Kukai moved off without another word to the captain to get things ready for their departure. There wasn't anything left to be said for now.

XXX

Moving swiftly through the water, Amu kept right behind Musashi as the little red fish led her through the water. There was no doubt in Amu's mind that the betta knew where to go. Companions were linked to their merperson. Musashi would always be able to find Kairi wherever he was. The link was something that Amu was rather thankful for. It kept her four companions out of danger most of the time.

Finding that the area of the ocean that they were heading into was rather far from where merpeople usually were, Amu started to worry about the merman she was currently on her way to help. There was a reason that merpeople stayed away from this area of the ocean. Most just thought it was because it was desolate. At least, that's what the king wanted them to believe. Amu knew differently.

Being that she wasn't exactly accepted by other merpeople due to her powers, Amu hadn't really stuck around where her kind lived. There were plenty of places for her to explore in the ocean. The area they were heading towards wasn't a place that she'd been. Not exactly, but she had been somewhere really similar.

Amu knew that they were there before they knew that she was there. Still, she approached the creatures without any hint of meaning them harm. She might not have been to this particular city, but she had had interactions with the creatures that were so similar to herself. Just because they were more like fish than people didn't mean they were stupid or ignorant. Amu had found that out when she'd spent time with some of them.

Ignoring the spears directed at her, Amu bowed her head in the fashion she'd been taught in before she spoke. "_I've come to greet the chief."_

Looking up through her pink bangs, Amu found the creature before her stunned that she not only knew their language but also their greetings. The shock was something she'd been expecting, but Amu figured she should give some sort of explanation for her abilities even if the male she was talking to was just a guard. "_I've spent time with your western kin and am considered a member of the clan by the high priestess."_

Slowly, the creature bowed his head to Amu before gesturing that she follow him. "_This way to the chief."_

Without a hint of fear, Amu followed the sprite with her head held high and five companions circling around her. There was no reason for Musashi to make it apparent that he didn't, in fact, belong to her. Amu had warned him to stay near her the moment that she realized where they were going.

Just beyond several other sprites and tied to a rather large rock were three prisoners. It didn't take much for Amu to realize who they were even if she couldn't see them clearly. From what she could see without looking directly at them, they seemed healthy enough. The sprites definitely hadn't harmed them in any way. For now, all Amu could do was talk to the chief and figure out if she could somehow trade for the other three.

XXX

Being that Musashi was his companion, Kairi knew exactly when the little fish returned. His head snapped up to see Amu being led through the camp like city like a guest rather than as a prisoner. So his betta had been able to find her. At least he could relax now.

"Isn't that Amu?"

Not exactly relax since he had two idiots tied beside him. Hissing at the two, Kairi made absolutely certain that they knew that he was serious. "Listen to me right now! Amu isn't a prisoner like we are. They respect her. I don't know why, but they do. So no matter how she treats us while we're here, you will do as she does. Do you understand? If she acts like she doesn't know us then we pretend like we don't know her."

"You think just because we're tied up like this you can give orders?"

Rolling his eyes at Tadase's remark, Kairi turned so the two royals looking at him could see his anger. It was the first time that he wasn't submitting to them. "No, I expect you to listen to me because I'm smarter than both of you put together. It was your idiotic decisions that got us into this mess. I will not die for you."

Utau had never seen the librarian looking so angry before. Sitting there, tied to a rock with her head throbbing, the princess had to admit that they hadn't really been making the best decisions. About the only good one they had made so far was to bring the male standing up to them now. "All right. We'll do as you say."

"Utau! You can't side with this traitor!"

Frowning at her younger brother, Utau shook her head before resting it back on the rock behind her. She definitely needed more sleep. "No, we're not going to die here. I don't want to. If Amu can enter this camp with little difficulty then I'm going to trust that she knows what's she's doing even if I don't really like her all that much. Kairi trusts her and Kairi seems to be the reason we're still alive right now. So yeah, I'm going to side with the traitor."

Tadase was left in silence. There was nothing that he could say.

XXX

Seated opposite of a rather highly decorated sprite, Amu made certain to share the food that the other offered. They talked of the clan in the west for a bit. Amu knew that it was because they were testing her knowledge, but she allowed it. She needed them to trust her.

Setting down an empty shell, the chief looked at the mermaid before her. "_What is that you're here for, pink one."_

This was her chance and Amu couldn't let it pass. _"I met your kin by traveling the oceans. I'm not well received by my kind. For this reason, I explore and keep mostly to myself. As you can see, I have many companions. However, my travels are becoming a bit weary. I was hoping to find refuge here. Possibly seek some kind of aid."_

From the look that the other female was giving her, Amu knew that she had to be careful with her words. If the sprites knew that she wanted to save her friends then Amu could end up joining them. Her connections with another tribe wouldn't do her much if she was among the prisoners.

_"What kind of aid to do you seek?"_

Also placing her shell down, Amu tried to look thoughtful and uncaring as she paused their talk. _"You've already welcomed me into your handsome city and you've given me food. Are there any sprites that wish for adventure? Having someone to travel with would be nice."_

Playing with a set of pearls that she wore around her wrists, the chief took in the mermaid's words as she thought over what she could say to the other. _"There are no sprites that will wish to go with you."_

Amu tried to look devastated by the news. She knew that the sadder she looked than the more likely the other would do anything to appease her.

_"However, we have three prisoners that we might give to you. They're like you, though you said that you don't get along with your own kind."_

Keeping her interest to a minimum, Amu nodded her head to what the other had said. _"Though it is them who do not accept me, I understand your concern. May I ask why they're prisoners?"_

Frowning now, the sprite clenched her webbed hands into fists. _"They destroyed ancient ruins and trapped out most beloved pet beneath the rubble. There is no way for us to free it. They deserve death, but we'd gladly sell one them to you as a slave if you wish it."_

Waving off the chief while trying to figure out what she could do for the tribe, Amu leaned back against the wall behind her. _"This pet, what is it?"_

_ "Of course, a kraken."_

She should have known that sprites were friends with those giant monsters. _"If I restore the ruins and free your pet will that be payment enough for all their lives?"_

_ "Simply freeing our beloved kraken would be enough payment. But can you do that?"_

Swishing her tail to get her off the ground they'd been seated on, Amu smiled down at the chief before bowing. _"There is a reason that my own kind do not like me. Shall I show you?"_

The sprite was quick to follow Amu out of the dwelling that they'd been in. If the pink haired mermaid could save their pet then the chief would gladly let her have the three prisoners.

.

Morg: I had to cut this chapter in half. It was simply too long.

Ikuto: You didn't have to.

Amu: She's just going for length.

Morg: I am not. I've planned this out well. It's about content.

Ikuto: What does that even mean?

Amu: Who knows?


	17. Chapter 17

Morg: Heyo! The wait for this one isn't as long as it could have been.

Ikuto: What does that even mean?

Amu: Kind of sounded like a threat.

Morg: No! No! Of course not. I'm just saying I feel like writing so here.

Ikuto: It was still a long wait.

Amu: This is why she owns nothing. No drive.

Morg: I've got plenty of drive, just no direction.

Ikuto: I can second that.

**~At the Water's Edge~**

The water became gloomier and gloomier the further Amu swam with the sprites. Wherever it was that the two royals and Kairi had trapped the kraken, it wasn't a very welcoming place. Luckily for Amu, she wasn't really worried about the visibility in the water. Not when she had her abilities. She could use the elements around her as her eyes. That and her companions were by her side. Along with Musashi. The little fish hadn't left her since Amu told him not to.

The chief brought the group to a halt before motioning further on ahead. "_Due to his distressed state, not even I can get near him. He's thrashing too much, but I fear that he'll destroy himself before getting free."_

Despite the creature they were speaking about being rather formidable and terrifying, Amu couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Being trapped was never a good feeling. The monster might have tried to kill Utau, Tadase and Kairi, but it wasn't any different than the merpeople killing fish for their food. "_Do not worry. I won't let him die."_

The sprites didn't look too sure about Amu's promise, but the mermaid didn't let their disbelief stop her. Moving further ahead, she came upon the sight of giant rocks pinning struggling tentacles. The movement of the large appendages was definitely less than it should have been. Amu knew that she needed to hurry.

Stretching her arms out into the water beside her, Amu let her head fall back as she let her powers release. The pinkette could feel the motion of the water around her, the way some of the sand at the bottom of the ocean moved a bit with the current. She felt the rocks pinning the kraken and the large beast itself. It was weak, but it would live.

Head snapping up, Amu kept her eyes closed as she slowly brought her hands before her body with her arms still extended. Moving as if she was truly lifting a large weight, Amu raised her hands through the water before her.

The sprites behind her could see Amu's movements, but they had no idea if anything was actually happening within the ruins. Little did they know, the stones holding down their beloved pet were being raised through the water by Amu's abilities alone. The mermaid didn't stop lifting until the giant rocks were far above their captive.

The kraken slipped from its prison the moment that it realized that it could. Amu thought about just dropping the stones. The weight was great, but she'd said that she could fix the ruins even if the chief had told her that freeing their pet was enough. Amu wanted to make certain that she was able to take all three of the merpeople being held as prisoners. It wasn't likely that there was something else that she could do to get them.

Amu was far from stupid. Even if she managed to get two of the other merpeople, it wasn't like she could just sneak back into the camp for the third. She had to take them all with her the first time she left. If she didn't, there was no way to save the ones left behind. Amu had to do everything she could.

With the kraken quickly leaving the area, Amu began to use her control over the water to feel out the bits of the ruins that weren't destroyed. The dark water was too difficult for her to see through to find the ruins that way. Using the water was the best way she could think of to figure out where each stone she was holding belonged.

The rocks that were still standing seemed to form some sort of columned hall of sorts. There was no roof, but creatures in the ocean didn't need such a thing. There wasn't really anything they needed the protection from that couldn't destroy said roof anyhow.

Understanding what she had to do, Amu began moving her hands as if she was actually stacking rocks rather than using magical abilities to do so. The stones that the royals and Kairi had knocked down were returned to their place with seemingly no effort on Amu's part. The sprites couldn't see how it strained her to use her powers so much. Amu couldn't stop, though. She couldn't allow for someone to be left behind.

After each stone was back in its place, the pinkette dropped her arms and let her powers return to being dormant. Her mind was exhausted, but a few nudges and snuggles from her companions gave her the needed strength to face the chief of the sprites once more. "_It is done."_

Hardly believing what she was seeing, the chief swam forward further to look over their grand hall. The pillars stood tall and straight once more. Their ancestors would be pleased to see such a glorious place returned to its former glory. "_It is companions you seek. You may take whoever you want. Sprite or mer. They are yours. Anything else you require, you need but ask."_

Tired as she was, Amu was rather thankful for the response she'd gotten. Having used her powers so much already, the pinkette knew that she wouldn't be able to do much of anything else. Until she got the other three, however, she was going to have to pretend like she wasn't feeling so weak. The sprites couldn't know that she was drained when she used her powers. They were creatures that would take advantage of any situation no matter if they'd been helped or not. "_I am in need of some provisions. I'm a bit worried that it'll be too much for one or two to carry."_

Gesturing for Amu to return to the tribe with her, the chief clapped her webbed hands, making the bracelets and shells adorning her arms jiggle and clink together. There was much to celebrate. They would be doing so for some time to come. The mermaid that had such amazing powers could have anything she wanted. _"Then by all means, take all three as your slaves. We'll give you one of our greatest knives so that you may easily keep them under control."_

Amu thought about turning down the knife as a gift, but then again, it might come in handy at some point while they continued their journey. Saying no could also raise questions that she didn't want to try and answer in her exhausted state. Amu just wanted the others to be free so that they could leave, and so that they could go meet with Ikuto and the others.

However, she needed to rest for a while. Kairi would understand that need, but the two spoiled brats weren't aware of how her powers affected her. Amu tried to keep that from anyone she wasn't friends with. If more merpeople knew then there was the chance that someone would try to do something to her when she couldn't do anything to fight back.

Considering that the prince wanted to take her as his bride, Amu really didn't want that information falling into his hands. Hopefully, since she was saving his life, he'd be a bit more considerate towards what she wanted and not what he wanted. Somehow, Amu sort of doubted that would ever happen.

Using the last of her strength, Amu swam back towards the tribe's dwellings. She could sit and rest in one of the homes for a bit while things were prepared. By that time, she'd have three slaves to help her leave without the sprites being any the wiser of her condition. After what she'd just done, Amu figured that she had the right to laze around while others prepared things for her. At least, that's the front that Amu was going to use to mask the true reason for why she was just going to sit and watch.

From her vantage point, Amu was doing just that. She observed the sprites moving about as they gathered food and threw in other trinkets to show their appreciation for her actions. Amu felt a bit bad for tricking the creatures currently rushing to get the things she might need. They were rather happy even though she'd done her deed with ulterior motives. At least they could live in ignorance. Amu would never let them find out about her true intentions.

Leaning her head back, the pinkette let her eyes fall shut as she rested. Her companions were there to watch over her. Ran was rather diligent when it came to that sort of thing. Amu had nothing to worry about. Su nudged her when the chief began to approach them, letting the pinkette sit up properly before being addressed.

Bowing slightly to show her appreciation for what the mermaid had done for their tribe, the chief straightened with a smile before gesturing for Amu to look at the three merpeople holding different sized bags. _"Your slaves are ready with your provisions. I, on behalf of all my people, wish you the best travels. If you find yourself in need again, please don't hesitate to rely on us."_

Amu agreed though she was rather certain that she'd avoid coming back to this particular location at all costs. As soon as they were out of the area, Amu was going to try and find Ikuto's ship so that they could decide what to do. The whole point of going after the pearl was to stop the three merpeople that were now with Amu from using it. Now that they did have them, they could go back. _"I thank you."_

Returning the bow that Amu sent to her, the chief motioned for the pinkette to follow her out. They made their way through the tribe's dwellings while sprites both cheered and jeered. The cheers were for Amu. Her slaves weren't treated as kindly.

Smiling and waving, Amu acted every part of the amazing mermaid that had restored their sacred ruins. Tadase, Utau and Kairi followed after her with their heads down while they carried her stuff. Amu didn't feel so bad about them carrying the bags. She didn't exactly have enough strength to do so at the moment, and they'd be sharing whatever was in the bags anyhow.

Motioning to Miki, Amu sent the little fish off on a patrol. She wouldn't come back until she was certain that there were no sprites around. Amu was to keep up the façade until Miki returned.

With the dagger that she was given by the chief, Amu didn't speak to the other three. They didn't dare to speak to her. Just when Amu thought she couldn't go any further, Miki came back.

Kairi was quick to drop his bag and catch Amu as the mermaid began to sink towards the ocean floor. They weren't far above it, but he knew that Amu wouldn't like hitting it. "Are you okay?"

Sighing, Amu leaned into the embrace as Kairi set them gently on the ocean floor. She could see Tadase and Utau approaching them with curious looks on their faces. They'd snagged the bag that Kairi had dropped.

Focusing back on the merman still holding her, Amu nodded her head. "Yeah, just had to use quite a bit of my strength to get you three out of that mess. You're all lucky that I was in the area to do something before they did something to you."

Kairi was more than aware of how lucky they were. "Musashi said he knew were you were. Said that you were close by and that he'd get you. I didn't know how you'd be of help, but I'm glad that he did."

Smiling at that, Amu lifted a hand to rub her fingers against the little fish. Once a fish became a companion, they were able to travel wherever their merperson went, despite the type of fish or water. "We were coming after you."

Still confused about what was happening, Utau put her things down before dropping beside the other mermaid. Her injuries made her head hurt a bit and she was tired as well. "Who is we?"

Looking at the other girl, Amu decided that if they were meeting up with the others then she might as well explain everything. "At first it was just Nagihiko, Rima and I. Then we met Ikuto, Kukai and Yaya."

"Yaya?"

Glancing over at the merman with his hand on her shoulder, Amu stored how Kairi had responded to that name for another time. "Yeah, we were trying to find you guys to stop you. The pearl is dangerous. Going is suicide."

Tired of everyone telling him what to do but then not explaining what was happening, Tadase threw his stuff on the ground. "Well, we're going to get it. And you'll be my bride."

The other three ignored the angry prince as they settled down to take a break. Amu was rather glad that the two royals weren't directly asking her what was wrong with her. Soon enough, they'd be able to keep heading north.

.

Morg: There you go.

Ikuto: I don't like that I'm still not with Amu.

Amu: It's been like two chapters.

Morg: Love is love, Amu.

Ikuto: Yeah.

Amu: You make no sense.

Morg: You wouldn't understand.


End file.
